While
watching a documentary about the happy Danish people, I observed their tendency
to have small homes, very open and light and very few things to clutter the
pristine environment.
There
are three important “rules” for reaching this lightness at home:
1)
keep things that you love and/or really need and get rid of the stuff that’s
lying around, blocking the view.
2)
decide where you want to keep everything.
EVERYTHING has a designated home.
3)
ALWAYS, ALWAYS put the things back where they belong.
Tiny
Houses are very trendy but also the tendency to live in huge homes. I have a rather large apartment but
appreciate my efforts to keep it simple, uncluttered and free. It wasn’t always like that but my goal
has been to un-complicate my living environment. It turns out that this striving is not a goal but a mindset.
If
you are not really committed to living a light and airy life in an uncluttered
home, nothing really works in the long run. You don’t have to do this. It’s your choice.
Even
now, I have twangs of nostalgia and, well, fear when thinning out my work
materials. Since I am older, I
don’t need all the papers I once needed for seminars. Actually, to go with the paperless idea, I shouldn’t be
drowning in paper anyway. Besides, it’s
rare a seminar participant reads the stuff I've painstakingly prepared!
I
feel pangs of Angst because tossing my unused work materials equals not having
anything motivating to do. It's not necessarily the truth but some sort of crazy story I've made up in my mind. I’m not
a great one for retirement. There
is a reason for living and, for me, it’s not cruising social media or watching
TV. Being realistic, however,
means getting rid of things that I won’t use again and building up a new and
fascinating future.
It
all begins with a vision.
Before
decluttering, it is important to know where you are headed. Ideally, how would you love to live? How would your space look? What would you feel while being in
it? What is your ideal lifestyle? Close your eyes and imagine. Write down everything your vision
embodies or even prepare a collage or drawing.
Then,
look at what you’ve got now. How
close are you to living your ideal lifestyle?
Take
pictures of your living space.
Then, take one room at a time and look at everything. Clarify what needs to be done. What objects do you love, use often and
enjoy. What is just ballast? Chuck the things that block your way
toward your ideal lifestyle.
It’s
not (just) about neatness now. All
the cheap plastic containers holding stuff you never use or even look are like a Damocles sword hanging over your head. Eventually, you’ve got these containers
in every nook and cranny of your living quarters, garage, attic, shed. Some even have stuff in storage.
After
the visionary step, you need to begin discarding. Sort out what goes and what you love/use and will receive a
designated home later. Focus all
your attention on this, room for room or by categories like clothes, books,
photos, papers, hobby materials, recreational items, etc. You might leave sentimental items for
the last great committing feat.
Don’t
feel like a failure if you don’t manage on the first try. Recover, recall your vision of an ideal
life, and jump in again!
