DECLUTTERING IS NOT EASY

Decluttering can be very difficult. Some decisions regarding editing will be easy, while others will not be. Decluttering is a process, the best way to break it down is by organizing your items into three piles; keep, maybe keep, discard/donate. Depending on how many items you own, and which areas you’d like to declutter, I recommend starting with the easiest first. Whether you know you wish to get rid of clothes, shoes, kitchen gadgets, etc. Start with where you know you’d like to discard/donate items. This will help get you into the right mindset, especially once you start discarding and donating your items. After going through the easier section, move onto harder areas where it may be more of a challenge to discard/donate. Since you will have already gotten rid of so much clutter in one area, you’ll be more excited to do the next. If this is not working for you, I recommend having an outside perspective/help from either a partner, a friend, or a professional, like Aristotle Organizing, to help guide you through the process.

TO BRING JOY OR NOT TO BRING JOY?

The Kondo method is simple, you hold one of your belongings and decide if it gives you joy. If it does give you joy, then you should keep it and if it doesn’t give you joy, then you should donate or toss it. Although there is a little more to it than this simple question, this can be very effective for some people. For others, this process doesn’t necessarily work, especially if most things you own, “give you joy.” I personally believe a more effective question to ask oneself is, “why am I holding onto this?” Although it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite like, “does it bring you joy,” I do believe that it reaches a deeper truth to the item and will help you decide whether or not you should keep it.

BUT I HAVE A STORAGE UNIT!

In my professional opinion, if you are not accessing items from your storage unit monthly, quarterly, or even yearly, you should not have one. However, this is just my opinion, not a fact or a judgment. I believe a storage unit can be extremely useful, especially if you have no room in your apartment or home for rotating decor, holiday items, used baby clothes for an expecting family, a delayed move, etc. If you are only putting items into the storage unit, and not accessing them regularly or even irregularly, then you quite possibly could be wasting your money and space. Another way to think about storage or even items in your home, is that each item has its own rent. You not only spend money for you and your family to live in your home but to hold all of your items. Think about these items as having their own rent, take a coat on a coat rack for instance. If you never wear that coat, you are paying for it to be in your home, take up space in your coat rack, and cause stress when you cannot fit your other coats with it. Instead of putting it in storage, where you will likely forget about it, I advise you donate it to places like housing works, goodwill, homeless shelters, religious centers, etc., so someone else can cherish your item like you once did.  

Decluttering is not easy. I advise trying out these methods and asking yourself the right questions before looking for outside help. If you find yourself unable to start, having trouble  making decisions, or even wish to take more of a step back, then I advise looking for outside help. You can find this outside perspective from a partner, friend, or professional organizer who will help guide you through the difficult process of letting go.

January 23, 2023 by Brennan Reid

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Hi, my name is Brennan Reid. I am the founder of Aristotle Organizing and the primary writer of this blog.

We specialize with young successful individuals looking for help when it comes to unpacking and organizing their busy lives. By incorporating beauty and function into each project, clients are able to not only see the changes, but feel them. Learn more about what we do…

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Aristotle Organizing

Aristotle Organizing is a professional Organizing company founded by Brennan Reid. Aristotle specializes in Decluttering, Unpacking, and Organizing. Discover how to get started here!