365 Less Things

Reducing our stuff one day at a time.

My personal guidelines on document files.

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Going through and decluttering your filing cabinet can be a nightmare when it has been neglected for a long time. So I have written a set of guidelines below that I use to declutter my files and to avoid paperwork buildup in the first place. Don't file anything you don't need to keep. By "need" I mean absolutely should keep. Don't allow anxiety to force you to keep documents that aren't really important. Only keep tax papers for the government prescribed length of time then declutter them. Switch to as many digital documents (bills, newsletters, school notes etc) as possible … [Read more...]

Procrastination is worse than just getting on with it.

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Wendy B wrote this very wise statement in a comment recently in regards to decluttering ~  "The thought of tackling the job is often more consuming than doing the job itself." How very true this is. I bet there are many of you out there who spent more time and metal energy putting off your decluttering than the time and effort that you actually needed to put into it once you got started. I was a little guilty of that myself to be honest. I knew, before returning home to live in Australia in 2007, that downsizing was our ultimate goal, but aside from the necessary ejection of stuff … [Read more...]

Holiday Declutter by Deb J

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Each of us has a different day when we clean up all the decorations from the holidays.  One thing we all do though is repack and stash away everything.  This is a great time to declutter.  We have a great opportunity to look at each item and decide: Did we use it this time? Does it need repair or a toss into the trash? Do we like it? Do we want to change our style/color?  Has our life changed in a way that requires our decorating to change? Now is the time to declutter all of those holiday items you no longer need taking up space in your home.  Things like decorations, … [Read more...]

Clutter you don’t care about

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Hi folks, well after reading the heading of this post you are probably wondering what on earth I have written about. So lets get started. My home isn't clutter free. People probably think it is but it isn't. After all I have never professed to be a minimalist and doubt I ever will aspire to that. The bulk of the clutter that I planned to get rid of is gone. And, as you all know, we achieved our goal of moving into a small apartment almost two years ago now. My wardrobe doesn't hold a lot of clothes, my shoe selection is minimal compared to most, we have books but not a lot. We don't have … [Read more...]

Someday

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You know how the saying goes ~ "Tomorrow never comes." Well someday is usually even further away than tomorrow. So keeping stuff simply because you might need it someday is a fools game if you are attempting to declutter. Especially if they are items that, in reality, you could easily manage without. For example, silly little single use kitchen gadgets that do the same thing as a knife. That mass of household stationery supplies that could supply a large office for a year. That thing-a-ma-jig to fix that thing that you don't even own anymore. Just to name a few. Then there are items you … [Read more...]

Poverty thinking

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I received a comment from Jill which inspired this post. It will probably sound like a confession as well but so be it. Here is Jills comment and I will write my thoughts after it. "I have been a collector of “stuff” my whole life. Had a major life changing operation last October and since then have been getting rid of lots of stuff. For the past 10+ years, I had been stock piling items for use after retirement (this November). Using “poverty thinking” (after retirement not having enough money to buy craft items, books to read, clothing, i.e…), my small home was piled high! After … [Read more...]

Declutter item of the day ~ Fear

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I received the following comment from creativeme on Wednesday and thought it would be a shame if anyone missed it so had to make a post of it. Also I wanted to add my 10c worth, of course! It was meant to publish yesterday but it wasn't finished and I was sick. So here it is, better late than never. "I’m getting better at this. Especially with the food! I have found that I go through this journey of letting go of stuff, what I am really letting go of is FEAR. I think I was afraid that I might not have enough in the future or it would never go on sale again or that I might not be able to … [Read more...]

My bedroom declutter: Part 02 – out with the wardrobe! by Andréia

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I never thought I would change my bedroom as I did this year. It was a challenge I set to myself. In part one I told you all about my struggles to get rid of clothes and one piece of furniture in my bedroom. Now I am telling how I managed to get rid of a wardrobe. Late last year I was talking to Colleen by e-mail and I was anxious about the state of my bedroom. It was a mess. I occasionally watch some Peter Walsh show and my bedroom was as far from a “haven” as you can put it. It stressed me out. Always. There was always stuff strewn across the “floordrobe” (I would like to thank … [Read more...]