Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo gained international fame teaching people around the world how to declutter their homes. Understanding the difficulties of letting go of possessions, she established a litmus test: If you can’t decide whether to keep something, ask yourself if it brings you joy. If it doesn’t, let it go.
For most of us, possessions are meaningful for more than just their usefulness. Items we’ve accumulated over the years are often linked with memories, making us emotionally bound to them. But over time, items that once were useful or meaningful may become less important, unnecessary, even burdensome.
As professional organizer Peter Walsh says, “Clutter isn’t just the stuff on the floor. It’s anything that gets between you and the life you want to live.”
When that happens, it might be time to declutter.
But purging possessions isn’t as easy as just throwing things out. It can be time-consuming and emotionally draining. Tossing the knick-knack your husband gave you 25 years ago or the drawing your now-grown child made in kindergarten seems somehow disloyal. Or, worse, it seems like you’re throwing away part of your past.
But sometimes possessions can become emotional or physical impediments to growth and peace. While you might love the chipped, faded figurine you’ve had for decades, you’re also tasked with keeping it clean, finding space for it or deciding what to do with it when it no longer fits your space. In other words, it no longer brings you joy.
As you head into the gift-giving — or possession-acquiring — season consider doing a little pre-holiday purge. Getting rid of things now might just open up some physical and mental space for new things that will bring you years of joy.
The benefits of purging
In addition to making room for new things, decluttering offers both physical and mental benefits:
Improved air quality, which means less dust and pests that can aggravate allergies
More space to do things like entertain, exercise or start a craft project
More time to do the things you want to do and less time spent dusting, cleaning and moving items
Easier cleaning because you have fewer items to work around
Less mental clutter and the anxiety and stress that come with it
Better concentration and focus because you have fewer physical distractions
Improved mood and mental wellbeing because you’ve reduced the mental burden that clutter brings
Increased relaxation because a clean and organized space is easier to relax in
Tips for purging
Once you’ve made the decision to declutter, try these tips to get started.
Plan it out. Just jumping in can be overwhelming and cause you to stall before you even start. Instead, gather and label some boxes: Recycle, Trash, Donate, Sell. Putting this system in place before you start can help keep the process moving smoothly.
Start small. Decluttering can be overwhelming in the big picture. Instead, start with a closet, a drawer or a cabinet. Consider this your training time. Once you’ve built the muscle of letting go of the many twist ties in your drawer or the never-used pans in the back of a cabinet, you’ll find it easier to let go of other, more emotionally charged items.
Set a timer… When you first start to purge, you might be tempted to jump into the deep end. Beware of doing too much all at once, then burning out. Or, conversely, being paralyzed into inaction by the magnitude of the job. Instead, set a timer. Dedicate 30 minutes or an hour. That way, you have clear expectations for what you need to do and how long you’ll be doing it.
…but not a timeline. If you’ve accumulated years of stuff, you won’t be able to pare down in a short amount of time. Unless you’re moving and need to get rid of things quickly, don’t worry about setting a timeline, especially a short one. Don’t set yourself up for the emotional and mental fallout of having set a goal without reaching it. Instead of a timeline, simply commit to a steady process.
Carefully consider your choices. Ask yourself a few questions before deciding whether to keep it or toss it. Will you realistically use it? Will keeping it make you happy? Will the joy of keeping it outweigh the responsibility of taking care of it? If you answer no to any of those questions, perhaps you should let it go. Conversely, if you answer yes, don’t feel pressured to get rid of it. Let it continue to bring you joy.
Give your things a second life. When you gift, donate or sell items, you give others the chance to use or love things that have served you well. Your emotional treasures might mean the world to family or friends, and items you no longer need can help others who need them. Before discarding, consider passing it along to someone else.
Get out the camera. While it can be difficult to do, remember that the item is not the memory. The postcard you got on a trip to Buffalo as a young married couple is simply a reminder of a beautiful time. Instead of hanging on to it, consider taking a picture of it and then letting it go. Once you’ve gathered pictures of things that mean a lot to you, enjoy the process of creating a photo album. That way, you can enjoy the memories more easily and often.