You are ready to declutter.
Decluttering, when done thoroughly, makes EVERYTHING in your life easier. It also teaches you a lot about yourself. I believe decluttering can be a catalyst to becoming a more confident, more free, more open version of yourself. I don’t believe the magic of decluttering lies in flashy “before and after” pictures that abound on the internet. I believe the magic lies in the process; who you are becoming, what you are learning about yourself and what becomes clear to you.
In deciding that you want to declutter you have already begun the process. You are preparing yourself to let go of things that perhaps served you at one point in your life but are no longer serving you. You are preparing yourself to let go of things that you think you might need in the future. You are telling yourself that you no longer want to wade through stuff to live your life (playing, relaxing, working, cleaning, finding something you’re looking for, moving houses, rearranging furniture, etc.) You are opening the doors and preparing yourself for more living now and a clearer sense of where you’ve been, your present self and where you want to be headed in your future.
To me there is so much emotional and mental work involved in decluttering. As you practice the art of mindful decluttering, you are practicing the art of intentional decision making in your life. This is a skill worth cultivating! This skill will serve you well in all areas of your life and throughout your life.
When it comes to decluttering (and most things) I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. Getting started is what is most important. Here is how I like to get started.
Declutter by Space or Category
Because of the way I structure my services, it requires us to focus on one category or space at a time. Examples of categories would be: clothes, books, papers, toys, linens, miscellaneous household items. Examples of spaces include the kitchen, garage, bathroom, craft room, storage room, home office, bedroom, playroom.
I suggest you start with a category or space that is weighing on your mind the most. Or, the space that will bring the most functionality back into your home. If you are constantly thinking about all of the books you want to get rid of, start there. If your kitchen is so cluttered it’s hard to cook, start there.
2. Questions to Answer
Please submit your answers using this form. Please submit at least 24 hours before our session
What is the main benefit you hope to experience after decluttering this space/category?
How do you think you have accumulated these excess possessions? There are 2 ways you can accumulate excess belongings; acquiring and not disposing. Try to pinpoint what area you think has contributed the most to your current situation.
Examples of Acquiring:
Do you buy things of lesser quality and are never really satisfied and you continue buying more and more?
Do you receive a lot of gifts?
Do you really enjoy the dopamine hit of researching, purchasing, waiting for items to be delivered or “getting a good deal”?
Do you purchase things because friends or strangers on the internet told you that you needed x,y,z?
Examples of Not Disposing:
Do you fail to dispose of something once it’s broken or has been replaced?
Do you tend to hold onto things because you might need them in the future?
Do you hold onto things you don’t really love because they were a gift or because of their sentim?
Do you have a hard time disposing of anything that has sentimental value to you?
3. Exercises to Complete
Please submit your answers using this form. Please submit at least 24 hours before our session
Create your criteria for what you want to keep. Think about how you interact with these items on a regular basis or how you use the space. How frequently do you use them? Do you want to keep a certain number? Does everything you want to keep need to fit on one shelf? Are these things readily available to rent or borrow?
Example for books: I only want to keep books that I’ve personally read, have had a meaningful impact on my life and books that I want to reference back to regularly. My “to be read” stack cannot exceed 5 books. I want all of the books I keep to fit on the second and third shelves of my living room bookcase. If I need a book in the future I can borrow the book from a library or friend. If I decide to purchase the book I will find another book in my collection to donate or consciously decide I want to expand my book collection and make the appropriate space arrangements.
Pretend like you’re starting from scratch (ex: building a wardrobe or outfitting a kitchen). What would you actually need or want in this category/space? This exercise MUST be done in a different room (or outside of your house). If you’re working on your kitchen space, think through your favorite recipes and what equipment you actually need to cook those recipes. Think about a normal day and how many plates you and your family actually use. For clothes, think about your lifestyle and the climate of your city. Think through what you really need to get you through a year clothing-wise.
This is not a test to see how many of your belongings you can remember. That is not the point. The point is to thoughtfully consider what you need and use when you don’t have your belongings right in front of you. It is much harder to make level headed decisions when you’re surrounded by your belongings.
Example for kitchen: Chef’s knife, bread knife and my 3 favorite paring knives. 3 cutting boards. Dinnerware, glassware and flatware service for 12. 3 prep bowls. 2 saucepans, 2 frying pans and a stock pot. Instant pot. Toaster, blender, coffee maker. 5 coffee mugs. 2 strainers. 1 can opener. 2 loaf pans, 2 sheet pans, 2 cake pans, 9x13 baking pan. Tupperware for storage (12). 2 sets of measuring spoons and cups. 1 pitcher, 2 platters and 2 trivets. 2 ladles, 2 spatulas, 2 silicone scrapers.
4. Gather ALL of your belongings (and some boxes if you have them)
Gather all items that belong to the category or in the space we’re working on. As you’ve accumulated excess belongings you may have started to decentralize their storage.
An example would be: you store your instant pot in the linen closet because you have no place to store it in your kitchen. Bring that instant pot back into the kitchen so we can get a clear picture of where we are starting.
If you have boxes or any other extra containers, those are great to have on hand (but don’t stress if you don’t have any, it will be fine!). These boxes are helpful for sorting or to use as a placeholder. They will give you an idea of the space and capacity that will work well so you can confidently procure containers if needed. I DO NOT recommend buying containers before we meet.