I have been on a purging mission this year to rid my home of excess, unwanted, unused and unloved items! And purging, I am. As I’ve discussed in the past, I’ve had a goal of de-cluttering for several years now. It hasn’t worked because (1) I never had a real plan for execution, (2) I never stuck to it after a fast and furious start and (3) I never committed to stop bringing in new items.
I’m in a different head space now and am committed to seeing this process through in 2018. Participating in a garage sale with friends was one of the external goals that is helping me to move forward. The thought of getting money for stuff that is just taking up space was another one.
Here are my top five ideas about what works when you want to get rid of stuff. Nothing here is scientific but it did and is working for me.
- Develop a plan-decide on a room, area, cabinet, drawer, category, whatever area it is that you’ve decided needs purging. Pep talk yourself if you need to about why you’re doing this & why it’s important to you. If finding time is difficult for you, start small like with a drawer. It feels just as good to complete a small project as it does a larger one. The point is to get your mind right and JUST START! You can also decide on a time frame instead of a particular area. For example, you can decide to purge for 15 minutes per day instead of choosing a particular area.
- Pick a day and time to start. Put it on your calendar like an appointment and treat it as non-negotiable. When your friend invites you out for coffee or lunch, politely decline and then offer an alternative time AFTER you’ve kept your appointment with yourself.
- Put on your favorite music or Netflix show and get to it!!!
- Take breaks-if your purging session will last longer than 30-45 minutes take a 15 minute break and then dive in again. In the past, I’ve found that if I worked for hours and hours straight, while I got a lot done, I never wanted to do it again so the purging fell by the wayside.
- Remind yourself why you’re doing this-Purging can be very hard physically and emotionally. While we all have different reasons for wanting to purge, there are positive side effects that come from purging. You may feel lighter emotionally, you may feel unstuck, you may appreciate your home in an entire new way, you may learn what you really value and treasure. Whatever your reasons are, remind yourself of these things at those times when you feel like you want to quit. And remember, if you’re worried about needing something you’ve gotten rid of, you can always re-purchase it. And it will likely be an updated version of what you got rid of & may work even better for your current needs! When I was decluttering & lamenting about getting rid of items I’d spent money on or really loved at the time, I reminded myself that the item wasn’t doing anything for me by being buried in a closet or a drawer. If I loved it once. I clearly wasn’t loving it now!!
In preparation for the garage sale, I decided to tackle a couple of spaces that hadn’t received much attention over the years. I have lived in my home since 2004 so I’ve had the opportunity to accumulate lots of stuff. I chose my dining room, especially my dining room hutch, linen closet and the hall closet.
I had the pleasure and the horror of finding some items that I had completely forgotten about; some will be sold and some will be put into rotation.
Decluttering can be time-consuming, emotionally draining, and just plain hard. However, the results of spending time being thoughtful about what you want to have in your home is immeasurable.
Happy purging (and organizing)! Let me know in the comments your process for getting rid of unwanted items in your home.
