This week (the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) is the biggest decluttering week of the entire year.
Really.
I know because internet searches double (sometimes even quadruple) that send people to my site.
Decluttering energy rises as people put away their new stuff, but then it wanes when life happens.
If you fear that happening to you, focus on the real reason for decluttering.
To keep stuff.
The stuff you like.
In a way that lets you enjoy it, remember you have it, and actually be able to use it.
My decluttering strategies don’t involve pulling everything out of a space at one time. Instead, I pull out one item at a time and make a final decision about that item. I take it to its home, trash, or donate it.
Then I pull out another item. And another. And another.
And a crazy thing happens. At some point, the space shifts. Instead of feeling crowded and cluttered, it feels open and spacious. And I shift from feeling like I’m yanking out pieces of my soul to feeling like I have room to honor the things I love. The things I’ve kept.
Once the clutter is gone, I can see the stuff I like. I can find it. I can use it. Even if “using it” just means experiencing a happy flutter inside when I walk by.
And the absence of an ambiguous weight of clutter on my heart means I can breathe. And relax. And not feel guilty about keeping the stuff I love.
Or guilty about loving that stuff.
Aha!! Finally the truth! Thanks, Dana!
Haha! Keeping stuff is fun. Particularly when you can find it.
Things I learned while decluttering the medicine cabinets and linen closet:
We don’t need to buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, child’s ibuprofen, saline solution for the neti pot, shaving products or band-aids for a good long while.
We don’t go through enough of ANY kind of medicine before it expires to warrant buying the bigger container to save money. (So much medicine gone!)
We had lotion that was over a decade old. Neither of us used it. Time to find something we like.
A friend of a friend pointed me to your site. I feel like I’ve found my people!
This blog is giving me lots of insight into myself.
Do you have any resources for cleaning list for people who live alone? Most lists feel excessive. Like I’ve barely used my bathroom so wiping it down every day is a bit much. I also have a once a month cleaning lady.
That forces me to pick up so she can clean.
Do you have my book, How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind? The Kindle version is on sale this month for only 1.99!!! That’s where I boil things down to the basics that are needed. Definitely no excess!
https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/book
Just bought it! I don’t read on my Kindle that much, but I couldn’t turn down the price.