DECLUTTER IN 3…2…1…

For some, Spring has become the decluttering season by default. Only 15 days away from this colourful season and I still haven’t organized my declutter calendar.

Why? I have no clue, maybe because we start enjoying the good weather and find ourselves swimming between furry Winter coats trying to find a lighter piece to wear.

Maybe because the dust starts getting all over the place. The truth is that decluttering at least twice a year has many benefits, from creating more space, to keep everything organized. The problem is, how can I start?

Decluttering can be emotionally draining as we often develop an emotional attachment to objects.

We often give our possessions more importance than they should have. We push ourselves to believe that something we have now can be useful in the future.

A few days ago, looking at one of my archived folders, I found the results of a blood test that was taken almost two years ago. At the time, I thought it could be useful for future medical reference, but I am pretty sure that 2 years later is completely useless.

Some of us are so obsessed with hoarding that we are capable of using a whole drawer just to keep pieces of paper with recipes, old medical tests, old paperwork, etc…

Declutter is for the mentally strong.

In order to declutter, you need to feel good with yourself.

Weak minds are full of doubt, and doubting is something you can’t afford when it comes to throwing pieces of what you consider your life away. You will allow feelings like guilt to get in your way as if you were saying goodbye to some good memories.

And then, those thoughts from hell will keep echoing in your mind: “maybe this could be useful in a future”. You need to feel awake and positive to decide which things are, in fact, worth keeping and which ones don’t contribute to your future anymore.

To me, decluttering is not an easy task. I always end up postponing inside my to-do list.

A good decluttering doesn’t need to be done in one day, you can do it by steps.
What can I start with?

Firstly, have a look at the room.

The wardrobe is probably the hardest area to clear, take a look at one of the drawers; maybe you have a ton of papers, tickets, expired recipes and old tickets. That’s a great place to start!

After you have finished with the papers, the next area you can probably clear straight away is the bathroom. We usually have tons of damaged clips and ponytails holders we don’t use anymore. And don’t forget that hairspray/gel/wax/brush that expired weeks ago but you didn’t throw away.

Remember, if you haven’t used it during the last few months, you probably won’t need it during the next weeks!

If you still keep some shoe boxes, get rid of them now! Taking care of your shoes it’s important, but there are other ways to preserve them instead of keeping them inside their original boxes, like using anti-damage sprays and cleaning them regularly.

Kitchen tools are something you may want to take a look at. One of my pans is extremely damaged and I always avoid using it. Due to its condition, cooking with it always ends up in disasters. Why keep it, then?

I also have several cooking knives, but only two of them are sharp enough to give me a good service!

Don’t feel pressured to start doing it right now.

In fact, you don’t ever need to do the decluttering or clear up your home if you don’t want to.

There is plenty of time to decide what do you want to throw away.

Remember, you have the last word, nobody else can make a decision about your items and the value they have in your life.