Mindset Shifts to Make Your Decluttering Easier This Week
I have a shoe box of special keepsakes. It used to be a much larger collection, spanning boxes and crates until I started thinking about the things in a different way. I realised some of the the things I kept in there were not things I actually cherished or had a strong attachment to… but things I felt I ‘should keep’.
Like that pull to keep expensive things, it’s very sticky. As if I was following some expected script so that I wouldn’t miss out in the future. I was going to show my children all my old school copy books one day, or medals for things I couldn’t remember achieving.
My Keepsake Box: Meet Mr Ribbity the frog (middle)
I decided to make new rules for what I would keep going forward. Anything in there had to make me happy - no ex-boyfriend stuff. If one thing could trigger a memory, I didn’t need five of them - like old Irish coins. When I worked it all back to the essentials I was left with the notes my mum wrote me every day for my Junior Cert exams, the place names from our wedding made of old tapes and brooches from each of my Grannies who have passed away. My box won’t look like yours, and my rules will probably be different too.
The key here is to change how you think about your things and what you need them to do for you. No more letting your brain get in the way. Here are three key mindset shifts to make your decluttering sessions go much more smoothly this week as you decide what to keep:
Just so you know: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and buy something I get a small percentage. Thank you for supporting my small business in this way! I advocate for buying less but better - the links are only for things I think would serve you well :)
Consider things as multi-functional
One of the things that brings me an unquenchable amount of joy is items around that house that serve more than one purpose - especially unconventional ones. When you can replace two or three possessions with just one, you spend less time storing, cleaning, repairing and time finding what you need. Let alone the space you save in the process. Be creative and see what happens. Consider this following:
a) Nifty Fork:
Use it to
- eat dinner
- pierce a sleeve before microwaving
- score pastry and mashed potato
- whisk
b) All-Purpose Jar:
Use it to
- store dry goods
- display your stash (buttons, threads)
- drink with (hipster alert)
- cut scones
- hold tea-lights
- as a rolling pin
c) Ottoman:
Use it to
- store blankets
- prop up feet
- reach high shelves
- sit on
2. Consider things as tools
A while back I was stuck with some great diet-changing advice, which is to consider food as fuel rather than reward (thanks Ryan Adams). When you use food for energy, while it can still be nourishing and tasty, you stop when you are full and don’t use it to comfort, to soothe or to self-sabotage.
When it comes to your things, you can adopt a similar mindset. Of course you can cherish things just because, but on the whole if you view things as functional, replaceable and fit for a season they will not stick their hooks into you the same way emotionally. What to do if you didn’t have it? Could you use something else, rebuy it, or borrow it?
When it’s just a thing to do a job in your life, it’s much easier to let go when you don’t need it anymore.
The following are things I know I won’t live comfortably without - but know I can find replacements when I need them:
A Nice Blanket: Click to buy here
Best Headphone of my Life:Life: Click to buy hereClick to buy here Click to buy here
Morning Coffee: Try this subscription
A Water Bottle: Click to buy here
Plants: Click to buy the pots
A Daily Notebook: Click to order here
3. Consider things as reminders, not memories
This is a helpful change if you find yourself tripped up by sentimental things that have you welling up. The truth is, memories are in you, not in the things. They work well as a trigger for those memories and feelings, but we can change the trigger to something else. Perhaps to something that takes up a lot less space in your house.
For example, what if you still had a frying pan from your first apartment. It reminds you of the first few months living by yourself because you bought this with your first grown up pay cheque, but it’s gotten crusty and the handle is loose. Dig out a photo from that time and frame it (maybe hang it in the kitchen), make into an album or a custom card. You could even take a photo of the frying pan and then dispose of it.
You can make the memory trigger something smaller and less cumbersome, keeping the magic alive. Remember though, don’t start with the emotional stuff!
For other, smaller items you could start a memory box or chest (as I said, mine is a shoebox) to look through on a rainy day.
Frame it: Click to order here
Make a Custom Card: Design it here
Make a Photo Album: Design it here
Limit to a Box: Click to order here
Do you have a thing at home that niggles at you when you think about getting rid of it? Let me know! Get in touch below and I can let you know how I can help.