How To Let Go - Inspiration From A Decluttering Fraud

I Am A Decluttering Fraud

I want to write about home organization, I really do! But at the moment I can’t, not without feeling like a decluttering fraud.

You see, my home isn’t organized. It’s a beautiful mess of chaos and clutter. I’d like to say it’s “organized clutter”. You know what I mean…the piles, the bins, the boxes, overflowing with stuff that is waiting to be sorted, purged, saved…organized. Hidden in closets, behind cabinet doors, inside drawers (or even right out in the open). But who are we kidding? I’m not fooling anyone, least of all myself.

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Okay, I’m being honest right now. Here is a corner of my living room, right beside my desk. It is just one of the “collection” points, where stuff is corralled when the main floor of the house is “tidied” and the stuff from downstairs comes upstairs, waiting to be sorted.

Easter baskets that missed being put away with the rest of the Easter decorations out in the garage. A bin of old Star Wars toys my son no longer plays with, but we haven’t decided what to do with yet. Movies that didn’t get put away. (Aww, Serendipity…that’s one of my favourites!) My yoga mats and blocks, which are getting used more frequently, right here in the living room (yoga for the win!), but that don’t have a permanent home when not in use.

At least you can see the vacuum there. I’m hoping that shows at least the intention of cleaning.

But There’s Hope In The Clutter

There is hope! I am getting better! Every year I manage sell some stuff to make a few trips to our local landfill (which conveniently has a Goodwill donation center, and all the various recycling bins for electronics, paper, cardboard, etc, so we’re not “trashing” everything). Slowly but surely, rooms are being emptied, closets are combed through, hand-me-downs are being handed down. And each time it feels so good! I feel lighter, more accomplished, more free! (Incidentally, my “word” for 2018 is Freedom…but I digress).

We also don’t seem to be adding a whole lot of “stuff” to the house either. Gifts these days, especially for the boys and I, seem to be heading more towards the money/gift cards/video games/experiences rather than “things” (although Lego is still going strong, but we’ll get to that another day). Definitely helping in the clutter department!

The Why Behind the Clutter

Over the last decade, I’ve participated in clearing out, fixing up and selling my grandparents house after my grandfather passed and my grandmother moved to a senior’s home. Then once again, when my parents did the same with their house (they now live in an apartment in my basement…again, another story for another day). Lifetimes of “stuff”, carefully sifted and sorted through, until only the most needed and cherished pieces remain. Not an easy task, when so many emotions and memories are tied to those things.

But it has certainly provided motivation for me to really evaluate everything I own, and what I want going forward. I don’t want anybody to have to go through my stuff when I’m gone. I want to do it now, when there is time, when there’s no pressure from deadline.

And ask the tough questions…Where did all this stuff come from? Why is it so hard to part with? Why is my foot sore? Oh, right. Stepped on a LEGO piece this morning taking that picture of the living room.

The Decluttering Journey Begins With Inspiration

So I’m starting, and sharing, this journey with you, my readers! And I’d love some company.

Here are some of my favourite resources that have inspired new ways of thinking about my home, my stuff, and the kind of life I want to live.

Check out this episode by one of my favourite podcasters, Kendra Adachi over at The Lazy Genius Collective. She does a great job of breaking down the three aspects of your home…how it looks, how it feels, and how it functions. Fantastic inspiration to really decide what you want from your home!

My recommended reading on the subject…decluttering, minimalism, and the why behind all our stuff. (And on a side note, I’m not getting rid of these books. There is a gold mine of inspiration in these words!)