The Declutter Routine
Decluttering can be a huge challenge for most of us. We hold onto things to make ourselves feel prepared, or complete. I personally didn’t grow up with an abundance of things and was told no quite often while in the 90’s we were flooded with advertisements for the latest and greatest toys and all the accessories that came along with it. So, when I did get something I really wanted, or heck, if I simply thought it was cool, I held onto that item for dear life.
This would backfire in ways I wish I could back in time and tell my younger self not to worry so much. I had things I would grow out of before I could truly enjoy them. Items would dry out or expire or collect dust because I was too afraid to no longer have it. I’d rather have it and not use it than not have anything at all. Which doesn’t make any sense, but you couldn’t tell me otherwise as a 9-year-old girl.
Now, as a grown adult, and also as a mother, I see objects with such a different light. While items can still be super hard to get rid of due to sentimental and nostalgic reasons, I can also see the bigger picture of what makes sense to keep versus what can go. And to be clear, I do not declutter my husbands items as they are not mine to make decisions on. That simply wouldn’t be fair. And as for my children’s things, they are still young enough that they wouldn’t necessarily notice when something is gone, but I pay close attention to what is being played with, even after toy rotations, to see if it is worth keeping.
Decluttering can be overwhelming and scary to start, especially if you have a lot of stuff. Start small, as simple as room to room, one day at a time. Or even start with one closet or one drawer, maybe even one bin or one grouping of items. Whatever feels easiest to dive into first, go for it. We all have to start somewhere.
Start by asking yourself a handful of questions on each item. This can be a huge help. Now I must give credit where credit is due and that goes to the YouTube channel: That Practical Mom. Kallie is full of tips and tricks for every aspect of being a mother and maintaining your home and I took these very helpful questions from her. So here are the ones I found most useful.
- Did I forget this existed?
- Would I scrub poop off that?
- Are you keeping this for your fantasy self? (Am I this person who uses this? Think makeup, skincare, clothing, etc.)
- Does it match your style or lifestyle? (Do I ever plan for wear 6inch heels again? Personally, NO!)
- Am I able to ignore the guilt behind this item? (because it was a gift or family keepsake)
- Does this work for the life I live or the life I wish I had?
- Would I buy this again at full price?
- Would I want to pack this up to move it to another home?
All these questions can really make you second guess keeping that item you haven’t touched or even seen in ages. Letting go is hard, there is no doubt about that, but keeping things can make your life harder. Clutter causes anxiety, it makes things more difficult to keep tidy and an over abundance of items, even when organized, is simply unnecessary. As someone who worried about never having enough, or always felt the need to have everything in place before I could start that new hobby or begin that project, this is simply not true. Just go for it, give it a try, live your life.
Life is too short to worry about what if, and certainly too busy to keep too much stuff. We live in an over consuming culture, where more is more and quality has decreased in importance due to the cost of items. We can do better and live better. And it can all start with a few questions and a good declutter.
Melanie xoxox