Awhile back, I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. Ever since, I've been trying to declutter my life.
Kondo divides the tidying process into categories, and I've been stuck on the "Paper" category for a few months now. Cleaning my cubicle at work was a snap, probably because it's about three square feet, but my home is still ongoing. I even pulled a piece of paper out of a vent (put there by a previous owner), so paper has literally been hidden in the walls! I had records going back to the year 2000, so I will just take it a little bit at a time.
As I go along, I toss items I don't need into a donation box and arrange for pickup every few weeks. A local charity will accept clothes, books, and household goods, and I think I've been keeping them in business for the last year or so. I didn't think I had that much clutter to begin with, but it doesn't seem to end.
For example, I'm still quietly "rehoming" some Christmas gifts (don't tell my extended family members). My birthday is coming up soon, and I'm thinking of asking for people to donate to a charity instead of giving me a gift.
However, my closets are now organized, and I can open the doors and see everything at a glance. I don't need to move anything to get stuff out, which is nice. I also scrutinize every purchase before an item comes into my home, and so far I haven't bought anything that I regret. As I go along, I'm also taking notes for a book I'm writing on decluttering.
With any luck, one day my home will be spotless and I'll have a book to share.
This is a good idea, and good timing. I was just looking around today thinking I need to declutter. I went thru my clothes a few weeks ago and donated some. As I walked up to the Goodwill donation site, two ladies saw the photo frames I was going to donate and wanted them. I said, "Here ya go." Made everybody happy!
ReplyDelete