Decluttering Your Life Is Easier With These 7 Reminders

Decluttering your life doesn’t have to be so hard. You can make it feel easier which makes a big difference with something that may take some time. As you let go, you’ll begin to understand what matters to you. You will notice that the stuff that surrounds you, demands your attention and energy and wonder how you might better use that attention and energy.

That’s exactly what happened to me. When we downsized to an apartment less than half the size of our house, I wasn’t ready to let go of some things. I sealed up five boxes of stuff I thought were important. I wrote the following in big letters on the top of each box. “Put in storage. Decide later.” You might be thinking, “wow, procrastination at it’s finest” and that was part of it, but there will be moments in decluttering your life when you want to take your time. I recommend honoring that and going at your own pace.

When we found our new apartment, there wasn’t any storage space so I let those five boxes go. Today, if you offered me one million dollars to tell you what was in those boxes, I couldn’t do it. I don’t remember. The stuff wasn’t important. I realize that stuff and clutter is only one part on decluttering your life but the lessons learned as you let go carry into every other stage and phase. If you are going to start by decluttering your entire home, you’ll gain some momentum and motivation by having a list of categories to work through. When decluttering your life, create a schedule and a decluttering checklist that includes things like …

• storage containers: junk drawers, bins
• living room: furniture, accessories, entertainment
• bedroom: dresser, nightstand, blankets
• bathroom: towels, toiletries, makeup
• kitchen countertops, pantry, fridge, kitchen cabinets, small appliances
• paperwork: receipts, junk mail, journals, bills and statements
• kids room: toys and clothes
• other spaces: basement, attic

Have some rules around what to donate, what to sell and what to trash or recycle. Let go of things that don’t have a space in your home or a place in your heart.

Decluttering Your Life: 7 reminders to help you let go of your stuff

Letting go of my stuff (from my closets, drawers and shelves) helped me remember what mattered to me. It wasn’t accessories, shirts or even my favorite jacket or purse. Letting go helped me decide how I wanted to live. If you’d like to let go and declutter your life, these decluttering quotes and reminders will help. Print these words or jot them down on a sticky note. Surround yourself with support while decluttering your life and easing your stress.

1. Our homes are not containers for stuff, but rather a place for love and connection.

Decluttering your life starts by decluttering your home. Decluttering your life is the way you rescue your life, create your life and reclaim your life. Start at home with less stuff and more love and connection. Our homes are not containers for stuff, but rather a place for love and connection. Let’s make room for more of that.

2. Abundance is a full heart, not a full home.

Of course we are talking about stuff and clutter and not people and pets. When defining abundance, let’s move past what we own. Before you fill your home, ask yourself what fills your heart. Trying to feel abundant from the stuff we own or buy doesn’t work. We’ll never feel abundant if we need more stuff to get there because we’ll always need more. It will never be enough. Feel abundant in your life by prioritizing what actually matters to you.

3. If organizing our stuff worked, we’d be organized by now.

It’s easier to organize things when there are fewer things. You have to organize your stuff over and over again but you only have to let it go once. As @theminimalists say, “No matter how organized we are, we must continue to care for the stuff we organize, cleaning and sorting our methodically structured belongings.” Additionally, if you are like me and aren’t very organized, living with less makes everything easier and less stressful.

4. The best way to enjoy your favorite things is to only own your favorite things.

Some stuff does add value to our lives. Decluttering your life doesn’t mean getting rid of everything and less doesn’t mean nothing. Enjoy your favorite things. Don’t save the good stuff for a special occasion. As they say, life is a special occasion. Use the good dishes. Wear and enjoy your favorite things. Hold on to what matters and let go of the rest.

5. Make space for more life, not more stuff..

When we moved into our house two years ago, we didn’t put anything on the walls. We didn’t know what we wanted. Since then we’ve added a mirror. We love art but we don’t know what we want hanging on our walls. Instead of filling the space just because you are supposed to, we left it alone.

I know it sounds obvious, but time after time, we declutter after the holidays or for spring cleaning, or because we are sick of all of our crap and then what do we do? We fill up all the spaces. Stop filling all the spaces (even if it’s uncomfortable). The next time you make a little space for yourself, fill it with all the ways you really want to do life. And if you don’t know what you want to do with the space, just sit with it. Take your time. Answers will come.

6. Remove the things that remove you from your life.

You know those things. They are the ones that distract you, make you less present and drain your time and energy with no meaningful return. For me those things were clutter, debt, drama, and alcohol. Over many years, I let them go. I traded them for presence, clarity, peace and ease. What will you remove that removes you from your life? Come back to yourself by decluttering your life.

7. Get clear on what matters to you by getting rid of anything that doesn’t.

Simplicity = clarity but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what matters and what doesn’t. The meaning you are looking for may be hiding under the clutter, busyness and other stuff that is weighing you down. Slowly begin to declutter things from your life that don’t mean anything at all. What’s left is what matters.

I hope these little notes will help inspire you to keep going and to prioritize the good stuff along the way. I’ve learned so much on this journey and I’m still simplifying and removing things from my life when I notice there isn’t room for them anymore.

Decluttering your life isn’t an overnight task and depending on what you include, it could be a process that lasts for years. Don’t let that scare you off. The layers you shed along the way will free you up for the life you desire. And, the good news is that you don’t have to wait until you are clutter-free, debt-free or free of every single thing that weighs you down. You’ll start experiencing more light and simplicity from the moment you take your first tiny step. And with each tiny step, more light, more simplicity and more living the life you want to live will follow.