Decluttering is all about change. Changing the way you think about stuff: It isn't important. It can trigger memories but doesn't contain them. It usually becomes clutter eventually no matter how excited you were at acquiring it in the first place. It doesn't raise peoples' opinions of you. It doesn't make you happy in the long term. You have to work to acquire it, which may rob you of precious time spent taking care of those and that which are actually important to you. Changing long formed ideas and habits: You are not obliged to keep stuff no matter how it was acquired ~ gifts, … [Read more...]
The easy things to declutter
In order to write this post today I took a look back to Day 64 of my declutter mission. This was the day that I first began to blog about my resolution to declutter 365 things. Since then I have often written that the simplest way to begin decluttering is to start with the easy things. Looking back on the photos and list of items I had decluttered prior to blogging proves that this is exactly what I did. Many of these items had never been used, hadn't been used for a long time, I didn't like for one reason or another or I had too many of. The items came from places all over the house, from … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Could You Live Like My In-Laws?
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom My in-laws have recently visited us, and like a light bulb coming on over my head, I realized that my in-laws are living like minimalists. I've talked about my in-laws here before from a different perspective - as owners of several storage units. While they live in California, the majority of their stuff lives in storage, in Texas. Each time they visit my family, they also make a couple trips to the storage units.  Over time, they have reduced what is being stored there, and last year, they arranged a Salvation Army to truck take away a large amount of stuff, … [Read more...]
Apply the 365 approach to other areas of your life.
Have you ever felt you need to make changes in your life, whether that be adding something healthy in, or stop doing something that isn't good for you. Have you ever decided those changes are too hard to make and give up before you begin. Well, just like our small steady steps in decluttering you can also utilise this approach with other good habits you would like to implement. I am using the 365 approach to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink. My goal is to only drink coffee outside of the house which of course isn't everyday. I started out by not drinking coffee at home after 4pm for … [Read more...]
Fight or Flight
Once clutter has built up in ones home there is no doubt that it is going to take some effort to expel it all. This task can appear  monstrous, frighteningly so,  which is likely to set off the fight or flight reflex in our minds. Most people have either one tendency or the other, fight or flight. If their natural reflex is to fight then they will likely just knuckle down and get on with the task. The most distasteful outcome facing these kinds of people is being beaten, so watch out clutter, here they come. However, there is a chance that, approaching this task in an easy come easy go … [Read more...]
Happiness Is My Declutter Goal
As you all know I dole out a lot of suggestions about what to declutter. I even put forward formulas on how many is enough of anything to keep. It is no secret that I'm not a lover of gadgets that are only useful if you perform a task in large quantities and/or frequently. Dusting is certainly not my favourite pastime so nicknacks are no longer my thing. For one thing they require somewhere to be displayed which means excess furniture which takes up space and requires more dusting. Practicality is important to me while status symbols aren't, so I don't need fancy things on show to prove … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom – One Person’s Trash Is Another Person’s Treasure
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom One person's trash is another person's treasure. That's a saying we've all heard and probably have said. I first truly appreciated the saying at the first garage sale I ever held as an adult. As we raised the garage door at 8:00 am, shoppers began ducking under the rising door, eager to be the first inside. The very first thing that sold was a men's electric razor for $5. The next thing to sell was a rusted kitchen knife for 10 cents. That's when I first came to believe that you really can sell anything. But, of course, decluttering doesn't have to be about selling, … [Read more...]
Clutter ~ What is it worth?
Cindy's article yesterday brought up the problem of clinging on to things in the hope of recouping what they are worth. As the value of things is very subjective it isn't always easy to put a price on such items causing a dilemma that can paralyse ones ability to get things out of the house. Regardless of the vastness of the internet it isn't always possible to find the answers to all such questions. At the moment I am in possession of a vintage fountain pen for which someone has made me an offer of $50 sight unseen. This quick offer ~ without even any photos to get some idea of it's … [Read more...]
Change your thinking
Change can be difficult, especially for people who have behaved in a certain way for years. Changing your mindset is what is needed before you even try to change anything else. So what can you do about that when it comes to decluttering. First forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past. If you continue with the mindset of beating yourself up about past mistakes  you will likely try to soothe that pain in some way. This is where you could find yourself at the store buying something to make you feel better, sabotaging your intentions. Instead of beating yourself up pat yourself on the back … [Read more...]
No rash decision ever need be made
One of the things I love about decluttering slowly but surely is that I am not forced to make rash decision as to what should and shouldn't be decluttered. With my goal of one item a day there is only one decision to be made each day. Some decision are made in advance and eventually the day comes where I think "That will be my declutter item on the day." Some decisions are spur of the moment when I stumble across an item that I had missed before but am in no doubt that it can go. While other things get passed over time and time again and left until I am ready to make the final decision on. … [Read more...]