Decluttering is Such a First World Problem

I have just started decluttering my clothes using the KonMari method. The first items I went through were my underwear, socks, t-shirts, shorts and skirts. I found it easy to decide what clothes "spark joy". I realised they are the ones that I actually want to wear. Choosing my wardrobe isn't something I usually spend a lot of time thinking about so it was a great opportunity to decide what I really like.

My blissfully tidy t-shirt drawer

Nevertheless, it was scary throwing out some of my "safe" go to clothes that I have been wearing for years. Such as my well-worn denim shorts that are just a little too short for the more "mature" me. Or the shorts that I bought to accommodate my baby fat after Turtle arrived. They were comfortable (and fitted me!) during that time but they are too big for me now. Normally I would have just kept them anyway.

Thus it is a relief to know that when the warm weather rolls around I won't just put them on (because they are there!) and feel somewhat uncomfortable about my image.

An added bonus to having enough space for the things I really want to wear is that I found a missing earring. It's from my favourite pair. I thought it was lost forever. I hadn't seen it since we got back from a trip to Adelaide at Christmas. It was caught up in a pair of socks.

My reunited earrings

I also found a brand new pair of stockings that had slipped behind my drawer because it was so full. Clearly decluttering was overdue!

I filled a plastic shopping bag with worn socks, bras and undies. This highlighted that I was down to about 7 functioning pairs of underwear. I used to dig through my drawer to find these few items before. Now they are neatly folded and I can see exactly how many I have. Half of what I've kept will also need to be thrown out soon.

Realising exactly how many pairs of underwear I had left, and their condition, helped to motivate me to go shopping and buy what I need. I am easily overwhelmed by the shops and I am likely to either leave with nothing or buy something I don't like that much to get out of there. So I generally avoid doing it.

In the month since I started going through my clothes I have already stocked up on new socks, underwear, long-sleeved tops and a jumper. I feel very clear about what I need and what will go with the things that I have kept. This is helping me to make careful decisions to ensure the things I buy will be much loved items in my wardrobe.

Whilst buying my new clothes I have realised that decluttering is a luxury for those of us lucky enough to have "too many" things. I'm pretty sure struggling single mums aren't able to create a new style by clearing out the things they are tired of. They need to wear everything they have to death.

I can relate to wearing things to death but not for the same reasons. I am a creature of habit and I am generally caught up with other things, rather than worrying about my clothes. While this is not such a bad thing I feel ready to rejuvenate my wardrobe and organise it at the same time. I deserve it. It will be so nice to have things that I really like and will get a lot of use out of... probably until they actually fall apart.

I'm also sure the millions of people across the world living in poverty would find the concept of decluttering to be an abstract dream. They most likely struggle to get their basic essentials for survival. A roof for shelter, food for hungry stomachs, and clean water to drink.

It is a sobering thought. As I clear out my unwanted things I will try to treat them with respect and pass on what I can to the less fortunate. It's the least I can do.

Do you find yourself in the cycle of buying and decluttering? Are you beginning to learn more about what items you want to have around you?

I'm joining With Some Grace and other beautiful bloggers today for Flog your Blog Friday

Decluttering: The Magic of Tidying

After visiting the baby market I started to put my newly acquired tidying skills to use. I admit it was out of necessity since I needed to make space for the secondhand winter clothes that I had bought for Turtle.

A tidy drawer is a thing of beauty

My "tidying" phase of decluttering is inspired by Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. I am not the kind of person who can usually sit through a non-fiction book (about tidying no less!) but this one had me hooked. This may reflect my dedication to decluttering. I found the book was easy to read and quite humorous with a down to earth approach to tidying and managing belongings.

KonMari (her nickname and the name of her tidying method) is a self professed tidying fanatic who started her tidying hobby as a child. She became obsessed with storage options as a teenager, trying fads of containers, shelves, and hanging space to try and resolve mess (or clutter) in her families home. Eventually she decided that storage was not the solution. It was the amount of "stuff" that was the problem.

By focusing on her families things KonMari realised that she was avoiding the responsibility of addressing her own clutter problems. She ruthlessly began to throw out her own belongings. The way that she did this was quite different to the processes that she had previously used, as per recommendations in home magazines from decluttering or storage experts. KonMari held every item individually, focused her attention on it and asked herself, "does this spark joy?". If the answer was yes then it was kept. If the answer was no it was discarded after being thanked for its service to her.

The concept behind this method is that you should surround yourself with things that you love. As you change your belongings also need to change. This ensures they reflect who you are and where you see your life going. I love the idea of only being surrounded by things that bring me joy.

The other appeal of KonMari's method is being free to let go of the things that you no longer use or need, no matter why you don't want them. It allows you to distance yourself from the guilt that often stops you from letting things go. The spontaneous expensive purchase that you have never gotten around to using. The lovely gift that didn't really suit your style. Things that are in perfect condition but never get used in your home. It's time to say goodbye!

This is, of course, easier said than done. KonMari has a strict method that she recommends for "tidying" and discarding things. Clothing is the first group to go through, then books, papers, miscellaneous items, and lastly sentimental items. This style of decluttering (or tidying) is by category of item. Every single item in that category needs to be touched to determine if it sparks joy. The idea is that you learn to discard with items that are less likely to make you feel bad about throwing them away. Then you work your way up to the more difficult stuff.

One thing that I didn't support throughout the book was the idea of throwing things away without regard for waste. I totally support the idea of sending things on their way if you don't need or want them. I do believe, however, that they should be discarded responsibly with the best opportunity for reuse. This may mean dropping them off at an opportunity shop. Or selling them on Gumtree. Or distributing them through Freecycle. You might think of a way to repurpose or upcycle some of the things too. Whatever the method, it is important to do your best to make sure those items are able to find a new home where they will be loved and needed.

Having said this I agree with KonMari when she advises not to pass on your problem. This could be by giving your unwanted items to family members. As KonMari aptly observes, your unwanted items are quite likely to be a similar problem for the recipient of your "gift". Passing on your problem is not respectful or helpful. Why burden loved ones with your unwanted things?

KonMari found that her clients who are younger sisters often have the largest amount of unwanted things in their wardrobe. She knows the average amount of clothes people discard and younger sisters always have a much higher amount. This is because they have been so accustomed to receiving hand me down clothing that they don't find out what their individual style is. What kind of image they want to have.

As a middle child I am familiar with this problem. It was quite enlightening to find an explanation about why I struggle to decide on clothing and why I don't enjoy shopping. I am now determined to go out and find clothes to create a style that reflects me.

This has taken a weight off my shoulders since I always felt guilty spending money on myself. Now I am confident that if I really like something and will get a lot of wear out of it, because it "sparks joy", then I should buy it and feel good about myself. If I don't really love it then I won't buy it. Hence it is a shopping experience that won't get out of control.

"The amount of storage space you have in your room is actually just right. I can't count how many times people have complained to me that they don't have enough room but I have yet to see a house that lacked sufficient storage. The real problem is that we have far more than we need or want. Once you learn to choose your belongings properly, you will be left only with the amount that fits perfectly in the space you currently own. That is the true magic of tidying. It may seem incredible but my method of keeping only what sparks joy in the heart is really that precise."  

p155 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Marie Kondo

The last thing I want to share about the KonMari method (clearly there is a lot more in her book - I recommend reading it if you are inspired by what I have shared here) is instructions about how to fold. You will have noticed the photograph I took of Turtle's drawer after it was tidied (above). All of the items are standing up in the drawer. KonMari is totally right - you can fit so much more in by stacking clothes this way. You can also see each item and don't need to dig through layers of stacks (see the mess this creates when dressing Turtle below). I am a complete convert. It truly works!

The usual mess we were dealing with each day

Starting with Turtle's things, unfortunately, means that decluttering my own wardrobe has been postponed yet again. Typical decluttering procrastination. Despite my previous post encouraging everyone to declutter I acknowledge you need both time and motivation to get it all done.

I am slowly starting on my things though. I will keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime I encourage you to start your own tidying.

Are you a KonMari convert too? Is it time to start tidying?

Linking up with With Some Grace today for FYBF

All aboard the decluttering train!

Are you already on board the decluttering train? Or are you unsure what it's all about?

Decluttering is clearing out any unwanted, under-used or multiple items that have accumulated in your home to create space and order.

It sounds pretty easy doesn't it?

If you answered yes then you are a natural de-clutterer (sorry, I'm not sure if that is a real word!) and I can save you a seat on my imaginary decluttering train.

If you answered no then you are most likely one of two things - either you are a realist and you know exactly how many things you would have to go through to declutter and you can't be bothered or would find it overwhelming OR you are a hoarder and you hate letting go of things. I guess you are unlikely to jump on board without a very convincing argument. Here I go...

I have always been good at going through my things and clearing out what I didn't like or need. This was one of the benefits of travelling weekly between mum and dad's houses from quite a young age. I also moved around a lot as a young adult. Travel helps you to shed yourself of things that don't have real value in your life. When you are packing to move interstate it helps to travel light. Heck if you are moving house often (I was averaging at least once a year for about 10 years) then it also helps you to clear out things too. Less things make for less packing!

By definition my uncluttered life (haha, I wish!) truly began when a family friend gave me a book called Unclutter: Simple techniques to organize your life. At the time I had zero appreciation for the book but a few years later I came across it and recognised how useful it was (both the book and the concept of decluttering!).

Apart from the practical benefits of clearing out stuff you don't use to create space and order (I have found a pretty amazing website that devotes itself to this concept, to check it out follow this link) there is a philosophy behind uncluttering your life. It relates to the feng shui principles of energy (or qi) moving around your home and workplace.

If you have too much stuff around you it is believed to hold you back in areas of your life. By holding onto things you don't use or need you are clinging to material possessions, which is not healthy. This is believed to transfer to areas of your life and "clog" up, or prevent, positive opportunities from happening. Feng shui associates spatial directions with parts of your life (e.g. southeast is associated with wealth, east is associated with health, and southwest is associated with relationships). When those areas in your home are cluttered it is thought to negatively impact your life in the associated zones.

It follows that if you unclutter your home and clear out the junk in those zones then you create space and invite new positive experiences into your life. Since there are likely to be emotional or physical causes for that clutter accumulating it is important to work out what is likely to be the cause and to try and address it. There are also ways to cleanse the space (such as hanging mirrors, ringing bells and putting out pot plants) to prevent the clutter returning.

Decluttering should be done responsibly with minimal waste. It is important to clear out items in a way to maximise their potential for reuse. Your trash (or lovely items that you don't use) may just be valuable treasure to someone else. There is a karmic notion that if you give or donate your things then more positivity will also come into your life from the good deed you have done.

"clearing clutter is an enjoyable experience - for every box load of unwanted clutter you throw out or give to someone in need, you will be rewarded with more and more tangible evidence of positivity entering your life"

p7 Unclutter: Simple techniques to organise your life (Beattie and Stevens)

Since we live in a pretty small home we try to minimise our clutter constantly. I have found using the techniques in Unclutter really useful to help me decide what to throw out. I will be writing subsequent posts aimed to help with starting to, and then managing, decluttering your home.

Despite my efforts to convince you otherwise, you might still be doubtful about the benefits of uncluttering your home. One of the main benefits that I have found is every time I purchase something I stop and question whether I really need it. I wonder if I will use it enough to justify having to find somewhere to put it in my home. This is a great money saving device. I also like to be able to look around my home and know where everything is supposed to go. A place for everything and everything in its place. This is my never ending goal. Having a toddler around makes it especially challenging.

I'm not 100% sure about the feng shui philosophy behind decluttering but I have found that as I clear out items I find it easy to acquire, or I am even given, the things that I need. I believe that decluttering has opened up my life to new positive experiences and opportunities. I am a big believer that you create your own experiences. As I clear things out I think about positive things on the horizon, which means that it is likely to become a reality.

What do you think? Are you ready to jump on board?

Photo source