Let's Start Decluttering

     Happy February!  This is such a great time to embark on a decluttering journey, although I cannot say there is ever really a bad time. In fact, decluttering is a bit of a lifelong habit.  Now that you have set your intentions for the year and know your Why, it is time to get started.  The best way to begin is not going to be the same for everyone.  In my experience, there are two main styles.  I will call them "waders" and "divers". Waders will be more comfortable starting small.  Perhaps beginning with a drawer, or an easy room in the home that is not too overwhelming is the way to go and build confidence in the process.  Divers want to jump right off the dock.  They might want to begin by slaying the biggest dragon in the castle, like tackling the garage or the kitchen.  After the biggest and most frustrating area is completed, divers turn their focus to other areas needing attention.  No matter your approach style, the most important thing is to just get started. If this feels daunting to you, then enlist a friend, family member, or professional to give support along the way. 

     The benefits of decluttering are too many to count, and it is the foundation of what I do.  No organizing, designing, or packing can happen without decluttering first. And remember, decluttering is not a reason to go out and buy a bunch more stuff to take the place of the stuff you just parted with. It takes courage to do this kind of work! I recently worked with a client whose motivation to declutter was to have more peace with his partner and children. Having so much stuff everywhere kept the family in a constant state of stress because they could never find what they needed and  the visual clutter felt chaotic. This caused the adults in the home to bicker  and the children in the home could feel the stress of this. The bad vibes were impacting their behavior and ability to play peacefully and do their homework,  and there was no designated space for that work to be done, and no designated place for play to occur. And to make matters worse, online orders were arriving daily to their door. Decluttering room by room and changing shopping habits and setting up spaces for work and play let everyone breathe a sigh of relief and feel more connected as a family.  Decluttering might not save relationships, but then again, maybe it can.  Another client wanted to declutter because they wanted to rediscover their identity.  They had recently become an "empty nester" and could hardly recall how decades of parenting had gone by in such a blur.  They were interested in finding what was essential to them, and they were able to do this through decluttering and unearthing long buried possessions and parting ways with what was in the way.   Sometimes it just feels good to clean out your junk drawer and have a little order in this world of chaos.  Simplifying our possessions to what is "lovely, necessary, and useful" can always be a guiding light in decluttering, but the act itself usually reveals so much more.  I encourage you to wade or dive in!