A society with sayings such as “he who dies with the most toys, wins” can inspire excess that suppresses our happiness, creates debt or a false sense of achievement. Excess can become clutter that interrupts flow in our hearts and minds.
Yet it can be a challenge to keep the clutter to a point that feels right to you, provides breathing space. And, no surprise, over the decades there have been various attempts to teach us how to do so.
Early on, we invited others into our homes to help organize, to cut back on the having too many things in not a big enough space. We purchased special containers, labels and baskets and also purged what was no longer needed.
Then there was the Mount Vernon method. It suggested entering a room with three boxes and your cleaning gear, turning to the right or left and to keep going in that direction without leaving the room until the room was fully cleaned and also cleared of things that don’t belong. The boxes were marked “keep (in another room), donate, or dispose.” This route might have been effective for those who are easily distracted.
Then came Marie Kondo. Marie suggested putting all into the middle of the room and looking to see what amongst the items spark joy. Those that sparked joy were the keepers. She also offered various ways to organize drawers to save space. Including what is rather obvious — pull things out you didn’t know you had, never wore or used.
For clothing, another idea is to turn the hangers backwards, turning it back around when you wear the item. After one year think about donating or handing down items on any hangers that are still facing backwards.
With messaging such as from Antique Road Show that encourages us to keep things, with crazes that encourage collecting items (remember Beanie Babies?) and with as many storage unit spaces in certain locations as there are houses, it can be tough to ponder de-cluttering.
If your space is cluttered and it feels like time, donate, recycle or sell what you do not use or that which does not create joy.
Set yourself and your space free.
Photo credit: Image by congerdesign from Pixabay