Decluttering How-To: Joy of Less Part 3

The best way I know to declutter, based on experience and tips from others, is to do it drawer by drawer, box by box, cupboard by cupboard. One little bit at a time. The author of Joy of Less even suggests going a little beyond, in some cases, such as moving all the furniture out of your bedroom, and only returning what you really want to keep in there. Sounds a little extreme, but she walks you through with examples and then it makes sense (not that I’ve done it yet…).

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Most of the time, however, she recommends to pull whatever it is you are going through out of its context completely to give you a fresh perspective. Pull all clothes out of closet, for example. ALL OF THEM.

At first I thought I could get away from doing so, but then I realized it was too easy to let things stay. At first glance my bathroom drawer looked clutter-free, but after dumping it out it was really a hiding place for all sorts of things I could donate and throw away. Sam didn’t want to pull out his shirts, because he already looked and there was nothing to get rid of. But when I convinced him to put them all on the bed, he threw out probably 7-10 shirts he didn’t wear or had worn out.

Get your stuff out—spread it out on a table, bed, or floor. It’s worth it. Really.

“Decluttering is far more effective when you remove items from usual spots and evaluate them out of context” (Joy of Less, p. 190)

Now it’s time for some serious evaluatin’.  The author states over and over again to only put back what you really want to keep. How do you know what to keep? Remember that things are competing for coveted space in your home (see previous post)—they have to prove they are worthy of taking up square footage in your home—they have to prove they are indispensible.

Here are some tips to evaluate their worthiness and indispensability.

• A TREASURE is something we rely on, cherish, or use on a regular basis. These things we keep.
• Ask each item: Who are you? How do I use you? Note: if you don’t know, chuck it.  How often do I use you? This final question helps determine proper location (more on that later).
• Some items we used to use, or have good intentions on using, but don’t currently use. Rethink what you do, why you do it, and if you want to continue it. Don’t be afraid to make a fresh start.
• Remember that you are not the stuff. Why are you keeping something? To prove you once traveled to Paris or you once were a high school football player? Just because you get rid of the Eiffel Tower paperweight doesn’t mean you never went to France. Tossing the football trophy doesn’t mean you never played football. And remember: you can always take photos of these memory-stirring objects, if you do want to keep them for memory sake.

Okay, okay, so it's a not-so-subliminal comic about how macs rule...
but don't you think the words ring true, anyway?

 So, what about those items we don’t use on a regular basis? “Regular” would probably mean more than once a year (perhaps holiday décor is an exception...still should get some good evaluatin'). Evaluate if it is worth storing. Maybe it would be easier to rent or borrow when needed instead of taking your coveted space.

Consider purging items and enjoying the atmosphere elsewhere instead. For example, maybe some gourmet, hardly-used bake ware could be given away and you could enjoy a lovely patisserie a few times a year instead. Not saying fancy bake ware is useless…just an example. Same could be said of many other things.

Of course, many of the things we decide to toss can be either donated, given, or sold to someone else who might treasure it more than we do. We’ll talk more about gifts and heirlooms later. Thankfully there’s someone who will love our stuff—that can encourage us as we clear the clutter.

Some stuff we can't decide. Put that stuff in a holding zone for a period of time. Within this last week, I've gone back to things I thought I wanted to keep and decided it wasn't worth it. But I had to give me time to really think about it. If it is something you think you will use, put the date on the box and if you don't go back to it within a year, toss it. All of it. You probably really don't need it. Why spend more time and energy fussing over stuff?

Remember, just because it is out of sight does NOT mean it is out of mind. People are less stressed when there is less stuff to stress them.

These are just a few tips from the book that I wanted to expound. The book is sectioned into main rooms in the home and goes through items and activities done in these rooms, providing tips on purging and minimal-izing. I’m really not summarizing the book—just bringing in my own thoughts in relation to some from the book.