by Joshua Becker, author of The Minimalist Home
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
—Hans Hofmann
Have incredible stories to tell, not incredible clutter stuffed in your closets. I sincerely wish this for my family, and yours, in the years ahead.
So, let me start off here by asking you…
- Does your home serve you—or do you serve your home?
- Will your home afford you the necessary space to create happy, healthy memories and stories in the year ahead?
These are not questions most of us ask ourselves, but we should. After all, our homes are meant to serve a distinct purpose in our lives—to be both the space we come back to, and the space we go out from each day. Our homes are, in essence, the foundation of our daily lives.
If your home is serving you well, it is a safe harbor from the storms of life—a space to relax, rest, and connect in meaningful ways with loved ones and friends. And it’s a secure port of departure when you’re ready to brave the choppy seas of life again. A home serves you best when it provides both of these benefits.
A home doesn’t serve you when it complicates your life and takes more than it gives. When possessing your home (and maintaining the possessions within it) becomes your focus, you end up spending your limited and valuable resources (time, energy, money) taking care of it. That’s when you know you’re serving your home. You’re spending less time living the life you want, because you’re spending more time cleaning, maintaining, and repairing—and perhaps also paying a hefty mortgage or rent for the privilege.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s possible to live more by owning less. And that’s the premise of my writing in The Minimalist Home. It’s a purpose-based guide to a simpler, decluttered, refocused life—one that makes sure your home is serving you, and not the other way around. It recognizes that each of us can love the house—the home—we live in.
Here are 19 changes I offer in the book to help create a home that better serves you:
- Get your head straight about what matters, and what in your home is distracting you from what matters. For most of us, our excessive physical possessions are not making us happy. Even worse, they are taking us away from the things that do. Once we let go of the things that don’t matter, we are free to pursue all the things that really do matter. And sometimes, minimizing physical possessions means an old dream must die. But this is not always a bad thing. Because sometimes, it takes (mentally and emotionally) giving up the person we wanted to be in order to fully appreciate the person we can actually become.
- Remove decorations that no longer inspire you. Just because something made you happy in the past doesn’t mean you have to keep it forever. Your life has moved on—maybe it’s time for the decoration to do the same. Remove the knickknacks and pictures that no longer inspire you. Or the decoration you bought that one time because it was on clearance. Keeping just the items that mean the most to you will help them to shine.
- Reject the convenience fallacy. There are certain places in our homes we tend to leave items out for convenience—a stack of favorite DVDs in the corner, appliances on the counters in the kitchen, toiletries beside the bathroom sink. By leaving these things out, we think we’re saving time and simplifying our lives. That’s the convenience fallacy. Sure, we might save a couple of seconds, but the other 99.9 percent of the time, those items just sit there creating a visual distraction. If you’re not using your convenience items at least 50 percent of the time they’re out, keep them in a cabinet or drawer and out of sight.
- Distinguish between simplifying (or minimizing) and tidying up. Just because a room is tidy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s uncluttered or serves its purpose. Well-organized clutter is still clutter. Never organize what you don’t even use and can easily donate to someone who will.
- Count the “clutter cost.” It can be hard to get rid of things you spent a lot of money on. But keeping things you no longer wear, use, or love also has a cost—every object carries a burden as well as a benefit. The burden or “clutter cost” is the money, time, energy, and space an object demands of you. If you’re having trouble letting go of a pricey item you don’t use—or any item for that matter—remember to consider the benefit-to-burden ratio before you decide to keep it.
- Free up closet space. One of the biggest complaints people have about their homes is that the closets are too small. If you’ve been thinking that you need bigger closets, maybe all you need to do is right-size your wardrobe—and your closet will feel bigger overnight.
- Donate clothes you don’t love. After decluttering your closet, you’ll find more space and peace each morning when you get ready, rather than facing stress and indecision. Plus, donating unused clothing to a local charity is a simple but meaningful way to help others.
- Declutter duplicates. I call this a minimizing accelerator because it’s one of the easiest things you can do to make quick progress. Open your linen closet, for example. How many extra pillows, sheets, and towels do you really need? Other good candidates for eliminating duplicates include cleaning supplies, gardening tools, fashion accessories, home office supplies, toys, books, and kitchen items. Keep your favorite in each category—the ones you actually use—and get rid of the rest.
- Clear your dining room table. Is your dining room table a depository for mail, backpacks, keys, and other things that are in the process of going from one place to another? If so, chances are that using it for a meal may seem like more work than it’s worth. Put the items away where they belong. Make your tabletop a clean, open and inviting space.
- Invite the right people to gather at your dining room table, often. These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be. The bottom line is that your decluttering efforts have given you more space to share stories, experiences, hugs and laughs with family, good friends, and close neighbors. Don’t forget to make it count.
- Practice gratitude, in your home, daily. At least once a day, it’s good to pause in your pursuit of a simpler and more organized life, look around, and simply appreciate the life you’re presently living. As Marc and Angel have shared in their recent New York Times bestseller, “Look around, and be thankful right now. For your health, your family, your friends, and your home. Nothing lasts forever.”
- Take down signs that don’t sincerely vibe with your present values. I know a woman with a sign in her laundry room that says, “It’s tough living in the fast lane when you’re married to a speed bump.” I get the humor, but I wonder how reading that sign every day might affect her approach to her marriage, even in small ways. If you’re going to put words up on your walls, don’t you want them to inspire you and call you higher instead?
- Calm a space for reading and being at peace. Even if you aren’t up for decluttering an entire room, you can “calm” a space. You calm a space when you minimize distractions. Choose a favorite chair and declutter everything around it. Remove anything from the floor that isn’t furniture. Clear the surface of side tables or a coffee table by removing or storing remotes, pet toys, kid toys, hobby items, old newspapers/magazines, mail, books, etc.
- Clean out your entertainment center. These large pieces of furniture often harbor lots of small items we no longer need. Take out old electronic components, cords you don’t need, and discs and games nobody uses. Get rid of them by recycling responsibly, arrange the devices you do use in an eye-pleasing display, and hide their cords as much as possible.
- Pare down your beauty and grooming supplies. I don’t know how big your bathroom is, but get rid of the clutter and I guarantee it will seem more spacious and peaceful to be in. Empty out the cabinets and drawers. Separate beauty tools (hair dryer, styling iron, savers, etc.) from beauty supplies (make-up, lotion, aftershave, etc.). Eliminate duplicates, throw out anything that’s broken or old, and get rid of items you no longer use. Then wash your storage containers and organize what you’re going to keep.
- Tackle a junk drawer. Most of us have one. It’s the default resting place for small items that have no better place to be. Or for things we think might have some use but we can no longer remember what it is. Chances are good you can toss out most of what’s in there and never miss it.
- Clear space for your car in the garage. A garage is not serving you well if it’s not serving its purpose, which is to house your car. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with using a garage for storage, but it’s possible to go too far with it—and a lot of us do. Get rid of all the obvious candidates for decluttering—odds and ends and leftovers, kids’ unused playthings and sporting equipment, duplicate tools, spare parts, etc.
- Set physical boundaries for your kids. Give your kids a certain amount of space and allow them to manage it how they want. For example, in our garage, my wife and I keep one shelving unit and one plastic bin. The kids store their outdoor toys on the shelves and keep balls in the bin. When things begin to overflow, we ask them to make decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of. The same principle applies to a bedroom or a toy basket.
- Leave space between everything you do in your home, too. Clear a little extra space between your personal tasks and obligations. Take a break to stretch, take a short walk outside, drink a glass of water, perhaps do some simple deep breathing exercises. Enjoy the (emotional and physical) space you’ve created for yourself in your home, and breathe. Remember, your overarching goal is living a life uncluttered by most of the things people fill their lives with, leaving you with space for what truly matters. A life that isn’t constant busyness, rushing and stress, but instead deliberate contemplation, creation and connection with people and activities you love.
You may not be able to do all 19, but how about two or three? A home that serves you well in the year ahead is a beautiful thing. It’s less distracting and more calming, which makes it both a joy to come back to and an inspiring place to go out from. Don’t wait any longer to have a home that gives more than it takes.
Now, it’s YOUR turn…
I would love to hear from YOU in the comments section.
What part of your home needs a little simplifying?
Anything else to share?
Please leave me a comment below.
Author Bio: Joshua Becker is the founder and editor of Becoming Minimalist, a website that reaches more than 1 million readers each month inspiring people to live more by owning less. He is a national bestselling author and his new book, The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life, is available now.
Carla Benson says
I found this article to be quite insightful and a great reminder overall. It reminds me immediately of two quotes I have stored on my phone:
“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
“Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
Anyway, thank you for sharing. I just purchased your book (actually both your books) and look forward to reading more.
Dr.K.Prakasham says
Dear Sir, really this article is so useful and inspired me.
I will follow this concept
Thanks and Regards
Dr.K.Prakasham,
Professor and Principal,
Motivational and Inspirational Speaker
India
J says
Love that first quote! Thanks fornsharing!!
Marie Grace Brabandt says
Love your reply. Working on all these points. Making 2019 a much better year with less stuff and more life. Happy New year. Love the quotes
Kamal says
My wife and I have been gradually simplifying our lives for the past couple years (because let’s be honest, it’s not something most of us can do overnight). Although we have a ways to go yet to meet our personal goals with this endeavor, we’re already seeing a noticeable difference. Less stuff, fewer distractions, more time, more happiness. I’ll check out the The Minimalist Home and M&A’s new book too…perhaps two new reads for the impending new year. 🙂
Beth says
Excellent post! Thank you for emailing it to me today.
I think some of us just don’t realize how much is sacrificed when we live in a home space that’s over complicated and filled with needless clutter (both physical and mental). Taking time to simplify things can save so much time; and some sanity as well.
One of my most “liked” quotes…..
“Organization isn’t about perfection; it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of life.” – Christina Scalise
Cheers to simplify even more in 2019!
Dawn says
It’s been a journey, a long one for me. I had a 3 bedroom house with a basement stuffed full and reduced down to 16 boxes, moved overseas to Oz. My husband and I have lived in a tiny 2 bed apartment and now in a 4 bdrm house but with no additional furniture. We just have beautiful space without a lot ( me with a sewing room), him with a geek/photography room. This place was cheaper than the 2 bedroom! I still have books… they need a good home, but I’m happy that we are both conscious of our stuff and still want to reduce. Thanks always for your interesting take, it can be very mindful.
Elizabeth L Biggs-Wilson says
My husband n I are both hoarder ..we but,buy,buy even we have most of them already..
Now I want to Declutter but he won’t,I can’t touch things that he bought because I don’t want to upset him.
I slowly putting online most of the things I’ve got…
Read your article and it is so good to be reminded about this
Julie says
I found this article to be very encouraging. I have been thinking about PRETENDING like I am going to move to motivate me simplify our home. Your article offers lots of suggestions as to how to make those tough decisions as to what to keep or not keep.
Do you have any suggestions as to where to begin with such a daunting task? I think I have an inclination to “skip around” too much and not see much progress! And then I get discouraged. In the past, I have tried to declutter the basement first but now I think I am going to focus on our living areas first. The kitchen and the closets! Any thoughts????
Beth says
I started with our bedroom. It felt good to walk in there at night and I always made the bed and picked up the clothes in the morning. I then worked on the common rooms where we spent most of our time. I still have the basement to do, but the peace the other spaces give me is worth it’s weight in gold! Good luck to you!
Meghan says
I recommend starting with the areas that are the easiest to you, and with items that hold no emotional value. Once you have a few little successes you will be motivated to push forward
Jackie says
I started small. First the coat closet. Then went through sheets, blankets, comforters. Then books.
I found it helped to have my kids involved in the decisions, of these 20 blankets, which are your favorites? Which do you never use?
It also helped to have a place that I felt good about donating to. I didn’t want to just dump everything at Goodwill. All the children’s books went to a niece who just recently became a teacher. Great way to establish her classroom library! The sheets and blankets went to the local food pantry; they distribute household items as well as food to those in need, free of charge. Shoes and better clothing to the women’s shelter for their program to help get women into the work force….. The better I feel about where my stuff is going, the more I’m willing to part with.
Nancy says
Great point about where to donate.
Val Warren. Australia says
Just take baby steps.
A junk drawer one week
A kitchen utensil drawer one week
Cook books one week
Very satisying
Misty says
Choose a drawer or cabinet. The little success will encourage you to keep going. 15 min projects helped me too. Doing one thing for 15 minutes a day- no more- started adding up quick! And you can’t help but go back to what you’ve done and smile!! The day I did my spice cupboard I must’ve gone back 5 or 6 times to look at it!!!😁
Redrockyogimomma says
Julie~~We had a garage stacked to the rafters (after a move). It can be overwhelming. I set a goal to do 2 “boxes” or “projects” a week. It really adds up over time~~104 projects a year. Plus, sometimes my husband will put in a few hours on a weekend. He can knock things out super fast. Good luck!!
Anno says
I find it helpful to set a number goal. One hundred items gone, or 100 pounds of stuff given away, etc. Or a time goal (25 minutes a day for a week) etc. Small, manageable chunks. Kitchen is a good place to start, because there are often many duplicates there, or items that do only one thing (for example, we chose to get rid of a popcorn popper bc we can do the same thing with a pot). How many coffee mugs do you really need (maybe two for each person in your family and a couple for visitors, maybe less.)? You can do it, and the trick is in just getting started. It can also be helpful to have a friend help keep you accountable or on track, or even to hire someone to help you.
Terri Lynn Veysey says
There is a new series on Netflix called “The joy of tidying up” or something like that …. she has a step by step process of how and where to start – 5 tasks that lead to a simplified, more joyful space. If you’re looking for a process to follow I’d highly recommend. Good luck!
RA says
Great post. I think my challenge is in tackling the junk drawer. Except it’s not a drawer really, more like a junk rack. I cringe going near it but also shudder at the thought of cleaning it. Perhaps 2019 will be the year. Thanks for the tip! Cheers.
DDC says
I cleaned the junk drawer one afternoon last summer. Very satisfying to have fewer items and organized. The best was when my husband first opened the drawer – he put his sun glasses on! 🙂
Jan says
My husband and I are in ministry. We want to de clutter our home but are having trouble getting rid of all our great Christian books and binders from seminars. How did you handle this?
Judy says
For me it is not about getting rid of what’s important. So if it’s important then I find a way to keep it better. I would buy a cabinet and organize them… then you can close the door! And file cabinets toooo! That way they are organized but out of sight.
Carol Blackburn says
Can you loan them out to friends and relatives like you are a library? Maybe if you let people know they can check out your books and you will loan them to them to read it would be sort of a temporary decluttering of a sorts. I bet there are many who could use something inspiring and educational to read. Worth a try? That’s if you don’t mind all the company.
Melissa says
How about donating to a church library?
Leanne says
How about taking photos or scanning the documents that are important to you and store them digitally – less physical clutter and probably easier to organize then on a computer.
Lynn Magoulis says
Keep your favorite Christian books then donate the rest to a place where people who are in great need could benefit from them like a domestic violence shelter, or hospice.
Carrie says
Remind yourself the books will have a greater benefit being read in another person’s hands than collecting dust on your shelf.
S G Sciutto says
Items completed:
1) Food take-out containers ( wish I had a picture – saved 10-15, recycled twice that.)
2) Easter decorations – figured if I donate my gently loved but no longer needed items now, they can be out in a re-sale store just after Christmas.
3) Jackets – now is the time they can be most appreciated as donations.
Next:
1) Valentine’s Day decorations -same plan as 2 above. Then 4th of July, etc. If I didn’t use it last time, I probably won’t next year either.
2) Kid’s room closets while they’re home for the holidays to make decisions. Clothes, memorabilia, books.
Bite-sized pieces is the key!
Thanks for your inspiration!
Karrie says
Thank you.
Linda says
HI – I saw your post on another blog I follow and you have some GREAT pointers! Thanks so much for sharing! “Keep it clean, in 2019” (my new mantra)!!! I’m really trying to minimize our ‘stuff’, but my husband and I live with my 80++ year old mom. She’s still really with it physically and mentally, but she just doesn’t want to part with ANNNNYYYYTHING! If I get rid of something we haven’t used in ages, a few months later, she makes a remark about ‘see, we could have used that thing you got rid of’…and I’ll respond with ‘yeah, once, in how many years??’ and then improvise. Either that, or we literally have over a half dozen HUGE bins of old photos from the past, oh, 50 years. They’re in bins in the basement (if i started throwing the pictures out, she’d never know it!) – I just don’t know what to do with those (I mean we are talking hundreds of thousands of pictures…) It’s so difficult – but baby steps…. Thanks, again!
Judy says
I would make digital copies of the pictures. Then I would pick out the coolest ones and upload them to a digital picture frame and give it to her so she can see them all the time! Then you can get rid of the boxes of dusty pictures, but keep the memories intact
Beverly says
I made scrapbooks for grandchildren back 7 generations. Page like fun days with grandpa, my favorite pictures, most important days of my life, birthdays, Christmas, graduation. Sent pictures to cousins, church friends, etc. By the end of January I will have one scrapbook of pictures that I want to keep. On the outside it says Precious Memories and Places in my Heart. I started out with about 3 large Rubbermaid tubs of pictures.
Monica says
I have been editing for the last several weeks. Putting things in storage, donating a ton of stuff to our local food bank. They have a thrift store, the proceeds go to feed families in our school district. Our poverty rate is high in our school system, so every donation helps! Great post!
Pamela says
I have read many articles on how to de clutter but this one is the best. Some people think de cluttering means getting rid of mostly everything you own but that myth is dispelled here. Having more than you use or need just contributes to extra work, unwanted stress and uses up space. I read someplace that your house is a living space not a storage space and this article reaffirms that.
Thanks Marc and Angel for sharing and lighting the way again.
Lauri Harlow says
A new and welcome thought process.
Amy D. says
A good rule of thumb to manage clutter is to determine that once another item is purchased something must be let go to make room for it.
Sally Heiser says
I am a shoe lover. I determined many years ago that if a new pair of shoes came into the house, an old pair had to go. It has kept my closet more orderly, and now most of my shoes are new!
Melissa says
I’m trying my best to declutter but my husband is a hoarder and won’t budge on the subject. How can I change his mind?
Maz says
🙂 perhaps if we start living the minimal, he might convert too.
Nancy says
You can’t change someone else but you can change your reaction. His area is for him to clutter/organize and your area is for you. For joint areas clear and organize yourself but accept you’ll have to redo it often.
Angela Carberry says
I moved from 3000 sq. Feet to 900 two years ago. In that time it’s been an endless process of dealing with what I no longer need or use. I’m 74 and keep thinking if I dropped dead tomorrow what’s going to happen to my stuff? Most likely it’ll all end up disposed of. Therefore anything I no longer need that I’m having trouble dealing with I pass on to friends or family I know would love it like I did. I keep thinking about all the money I spent acquiring all those impulse things I just had to have and I cringe!
Mary says
I feel your pain!
Renee says
I needed to be reminded of this as I started decluttering but stopped. My goal is to accomplish at least 2 out of the 19 this year. Thank you. Profound, simple yet true.
Ann Sauder says
Thank you! This will be my New Year resolution for 2019, to look at areas differently and take action! In school, we had the pledge of allegiance to say each morning. I need a pledge of minimalism to repeat each morning! Any ideas?!
Julie Turner says
Today I will choose wisely what is worthy to be in my home, my mind, and my heart. I understand that anything I allow requires something from me-money, time, or attention. If I discover that something no longer serves me well, I will release it from my care without guilt. I envision a life of simplicity and pledge to make daily progress toward achieving that goal.
Barbara says
I have 9 under the bed size totes in my living room, (stored in a full size, nine foot buffet and hutch unit) of ‘kid craft’ supplies; as well as numerous, smaller, varying sized containers, elsewhere. I have one G-Daughter of crafting age. Yet every time we make something I buy it. Searching bins is ‘not worth the effort’. I either stuff these leftovers in the bins, or leave it on top of one. I could remove said unit, if I pared these supplies down. My living room looks like a storage unit.
Barbara says
Why not craft from the bins? Go through them and pick something.
Melanie says
Donate the supplies to a local daycare, church, (VBS) or teacher. You will be someone’s hero!!
Ruthie Sanchez says
Coming from a spacious home in Florida to a shoebox apartment in NYC, I have had to learn how to minimize, right-size, de-clutter and simplify. And what a difference it makes. I’m all about small space living now. I absolutely love my tiny apartment because it has all the essentials and none of the clutter. I do stand in the middle of my small one room kitchen, living room, dining room and appreciate my home because to me it’s beautiful and just right. Decluttering is a stress reliever, I didn’t realize how weighed down I was with things that were simply collecting dust and taking up space.
Great article!
Some of these steps are simple steps to a healthier life. It really does make all the difference. And just like the article says, even if you can’t do all any change towards decluttering is progress.
Christie Ervin says
I recently moved to a 450 square foot apartment in order to live close to my kids and new grandson. I spent the 6 months prior donating and pitching, and actually have enough room for everything now (even clothes!). My biggest issue is my kitchen, very little counter space or storage and I tend to leave things out. My goal this year is to develop the habit of putting things away that I don’t use every single day. I’ll get there!
Lynna says
The kitchen is hard! I get ofte critiqued for not having many tools. But i like it simple. 💙
Irene says
Big problem is with photos from 70yrs.ago..keep most in original envelope..have lots I’m photo albums…so hard to get rid if all the memories..
Lynna says
I wish you could come home with me and tell me all I can get rid off! 😂
I have a medium size case with specific space for makeup. I always limit my self to not buy more make up that what it fits in that case.
Thank you for your tips and quotes. You page has been very helpful in my life.
Cheryl Huntsman says
I’m a little late in my Christmas decorating…but tonight as I unpacked & decorated, I also set aside ornaments that were special to my 22 year old daughter & ones that neither one of us loved…those will be donated. We have a smaller live tree (in a pot) so that means less ornaments needed. I’ve been meaning to do this for several years…& it felt great!
Isabelle Perier says
This is unbelievable how this post came at the right time ! Since the last Spring I have been uncluttering before some installation works in my home ! I was smiling in reading it as I had the feeling to relive
what I actually did these last months. And I know I still need to make more, but at least it was a good cleaning !
Thank you for having shared this article.
Jmd says
Wow! Thanks-timely and much needed suggestions!
Maz says
It is like conscience speaking to me. I started simplifying my closet . My workspace at the office too. I also intend to subscribe digital newspaper to lessen the newspapers stack. I clear my handbags after every enormous day out.
I simplify my thots and let go off negativity. I stopped explaining to people who do not want to listen, anyway. I have learnt that time reveals everything and fights tire me. I also keep work in the day and leave the night for my own recovery. The clear distinction simplifies my sense of the and obligations.
I simplify my eating habits to more fruits and vegetable. But I do take supplements.
Before I sit down in a place, I make sure I clear the space. Doing this regularly means less work each time instead of a massive overhaul. I intend to make every space in my flat ‘active’ including the storage space.
I have always led a simple life but we get carried away with married life and then work.
I have seen quite a bit of life. Indulgences bring temporary pleasure and the meaningfulness of our actions -they are seeds that you sow to make a garden a sweet and memorable one. I thank for this community because it is always inspiring. Let’s do more with less.
Shreya says
Great post. Life needs change at times else everything turns out to be boring. Even I believe in change and heading towards our passion.
I too have a blog where I have written something not as good as you can but yes it will be good if you help with doing it better.
Elaine McElhaney says
just had a small porch (8×12) enclosed for an office. Got all my bill paying stuff , files, computer in one place. Now I can find the dining room table. The big headache was finding a PRACTICAL desk. Finally found a whole suite with file drawers, book cases, even a hidden power strip. (Cross Island) . Now bill-paying and record-keeping is much easier. And the room is attractive and not ‘busy’ looking.
+-Life. says
My room had a lot of stuff that needed to be cleared and I had such a hard time because I was just too lazy.
So I decided to come up with a decluttering strategy that’s stupid simple.
So stupid simple that I couldn’t refuse to do it!
And that strategy was to just throw one time away every day before I left the house.
It worked so well and I have such a de-cluttered room now compared to years ago!
Gail says
The ones with too many craft supplies and the ones with too many photos could get together and make scrapbooks!
coralcrue says
perfect for helping clear out clutter for the new year, thank you so much!
Margie says
Great article for this time of year. Reminders are healthy….. when my husband passed away in 2010 he had a lot of “stuff” that I had to get rid of… it was painful and overwhelming (mostly overwhelming). I moved and moved again, each time off loading “stuff” he’d left me with. So each year I do the same thing… do I REALLY need this?? Then off it goes. It keeps my life simple, organized and let’s be honest, if something unexpected happens to me, I don’t want to burden the folks I love with “my stuff”…. Excited for 2019!!!
Susan says
Margie,
My husband died in 2013 and it’s still an ongoing process getting rid of his stuff. It was very emotional in the beginning but I’ve done it in stages, and still have more to do. I find that I can only do so much of this at one time. I’m also purging my own things too. I haven’t moved yet but plan to down size eventually. Clearing emotional clutter is also very important.
Lisa says
I have been badly wanting to declutter our home. I am a very sentimental person. It would be so much easier if I weren’t and could just throw everything away easily! But with 3 kids, our home has become way too cluttered with toys, books and school/art work and something HAS to be done…starting today. I have come across your article at just the right time because this was already my plan to get started on this. Thank you!
Tara says
I’ve been wanting to de-clutter for years. My S.O. has hoarding/overbuying tendencies, mainly with clothes, which tend to give me anxiety. How can I get him on board, without “forcing” him, to get rid of stuff begrudgingly and me getting upset?
Darlene says
Very timely and fabulous article. Thank you for all the tips, etc.
Lora says
Thank you. I found your posts a year ago. I started with one closet and became so inspired, the last twelve months I’ve gone thru a lifetime of collections that were in storage. I am 54 so I had quite a bit. I decided to devote my summer to seeing what was in every box. I’ve made good use of FB Marketplace and the rest went to friends, family or charity. The entire attic is nearly empty with just a few boxes and some odd pieces of furniture left. I will get to those in the spring. Now I am working on the inside of the house on items that I live with daily and many which I’ve grown very attached to. So the process is getting a bit harder. But I’m determined to unclutter my life and I refuse to leave a mess for my children if the time comes that I’m unable to take care of things.
I can’t thank you enough for pointing out to me just how much ‘stuff’ controls my life. Everything you’ve posted has made a great deal of sense to me and has kept me moving forward on this task.
Robyn Addison says
The attic is our problem area. About 20 feet by 4 feet. Bike helmets are stored there. Snow gear from snowsuit to sleds. Decorations for holidays and had me me down clothes and camping gear. Things we use but doesn’t get put back properly by kids. Kids would rather stack in living room or their bedroom then go to attic. Room is easily accessible off from office. I only saw one item that I’m keeping my wedding dress. Everything else we use. Yesterday I hours of clearinging out decorations to get down to one box per holiday (except Christmas). Thank you. Attics purpose is to store what we will use. Each of 3 kids have one box of toys outgrown saving for their kids. Just need to organize attic better.
Heather Steinle says
I feel like the state of the space around me (my home, my car, etc) is indicative of the state of my life (emotionally, physically, etc). Right now everything in my life feels so chaotic and the space around me definitely shows it…