The premise of decluttering may sound
easy enough when you first hear it. Just get rid of everything that you are
not using anymore. Or maybe you've heard
of the phrase to declutter things that
don't spark joy
for you anymore. But when it comes
down to it, and we actually sit down to
go through all of our items, we notice
that it's not always as easy and simple
as it may seem.
And actually sometimes it can be
downright tough and difficult.
So today in this video, I'm gonna share
my best tips and strategies for how to
get rid of stuff you don't need anymore.
And really make big changes to your home
and maybe even your life.
If you've ever tried going through some
of your things, and getting rid of some
of your belongings, you will probably
know what i'm talking about.
Even if it is an item that we didn't
even remember we had
and it has been sitting in the back of
our closet for a year or in a box in the
garage,
you would think that it would be an easy
decision to make. But when we are faced
with the idea of letting that item go
it can still be a very difficult process.
But if we want to declutter and feel
better in our home, and also enjoy all
those wonderful benefits that come with
having an organized space, we do need to
start taking some steps. So in today's
video, I'm going to share four strategies
that can really help to break down those
walls and actually start
making the tough decisions and taking
action. And these strategies can also
work really well for everyone who's
already done a lot of decluttering,
and who is looking to take things to the
next level. The first strategy is
something that I call
getting real. And this is what I mean.
When we buy something new, there's
actually a lot more going on underneath
the surface than you might realize.
So with a lot of our purchases we buy
something, and it is validating an idea
that we have about
ourselves. I'm the type of person who dot
dot dot.
And the things we buy then become part
of all the things we've collected around
us, and they become part of our identity.
So how we see ourselves and how we see
the world.
Our things speak of our interests, our
values, our beliefs, our character.
What we enjoy. And if you were to take a
look in the home of someone who finds it
important to take care of their health,
you might find weightlifting equipment,
exercise clothing,
fitbit, running shoes, vitamins and
supplements, protein powder.
And if you were to go inside the home of
someone who considers family to be
one of the most important things you may
find a lot of photo albums and
memorabilia and maybe toys and plushies
from when their kids were young.
So the things that we collect around us
validate who we are. And then, once we
start to get rid of some of these things
it is not just about the thing. It is
about letting go of
a part of us that the item represents.
And that can be
tricky and painful, so it's easier to
just
chuck it back to where it was and not
have to face that decision.
And here's where the strategy of getting
real with yourself comes into play.
Because
our minds are not always rational and we
can make subconsciously
logical leaps that just are not true.
So it is important to kind of examine where
these thoughts and feelings are coming
from
and to also place a true thought against
them.
And a good example of this are memories
and sentimental items.
So if you have items in your home that
maybe used to belong to someone who's
not in your life anymore
or maybe they used to belong to your
kids when they were young
then if you were to let go of those
items, subconsciously it feels like you
are saying that those memories are not
important to you anymore. Or that that
person is not important to you anymore.
And by examining this and getting more
real with ourselves,
we then start to realize that these
memories are
inside us and not inside the item. And
that letting go of an item does not mean
that we don't care.
We still have the memories, we still have
the love and we are not letting that go.
And we don't have to attribute these
things to that item. The item is just the
item.
That represents something that we feel
inside. And if we want to we can always
take a picture of the item before we let
it go,
so we always have that visual reminder
of those memories.
And this can work the same way with
items that we feel say something about
us.
So for example, getting rid of your
hiking gear. Because you've always
fancied yourself this outdoorsy person
who's really fit and goes hiking every
weekend.
Then get real with yourself. Have you
actually used them
in the last three months? Or will you
realistically use them
in the next three months? It is okay to
let go of things that represent
interests and part of ourselves that for
one reason or another,
who knows why, but we're not really
interested in anymore.
And you know what, we cannot do
everything. And we can't be
everything. And it is okay to let that go
and focus on the hobbies and the
interests that you do currently have.
Because there's not enough space and
time in the world to do it all.
We're about to move on to the second
strategy, but before we do, if you're
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My second strategy is called permission
and forgiveness.
And this means first giving yourself
permission to let go
and second forgiving yourself for making
purchases in the past
that looking back on them were a mistake.
I've touched on this briefly in last
week's video about how to start
minimalism
and a lot of you seem to recognize this.
And we can be pretty hard on ourselves.
And it can be
tough to face the consequences of our
past purchasing mistakes.
And of course, this can hold us back from
decluttering. It's hard to get rid of
things that we've spent a lot of money
on
and we feel like we've wasted all this
money. And now we get to ask ourselves a
question.
And the question is: Just because I've
spent a lot of money on this thing in
the past,
does that then also mean that I have to
hold on to that item in the future? If
the item is not contributing to living
your best life today,
the answer is no. By keeping an item
around, you are continuing to pay for it.
With space in your home, with time and
attention, you need to maintain that item
and keep it clean. Not to mention you are
paying for it with your energy every
time you look at it.
So the only items that are worth these
things are items that are adding value
to your life
today. Now if the answer to this question
is no,
then that means that you can declutter
the item. But it is important also
to not beat yourself up about it. So if
you feel that this purchase was a
mistake, and you feel like you've wasted
money,
the only thing that you have to do is
try and learn from this mistake and not
repeat it in the future.
So you don't have to beat yourself up
right now. Don't be angry. Even if you've
made this particular mistake 20 times
already.
We all make mistakes, it's all right, we
learn from them, we move on.
I have one video that I really recommend
that can make this whole process
easier. And it is called minimalism and
decluttering
10 questions to ask you haven't heard
before. And this video can really help to
give you a lot of clarity, so I will
leave that video link in the description
box below.
To check out after you're done watching
this one. The third strategy that I want
to share with you today is called
break it up. As with any kind of project
or goal or dream
it's important to break it up into
smaller more manageable chunks.
Because if we don't do that, it is very
easy to become completely overwhelmed
and not know where to start or how to
begin.
And therefore we don't take action. We
may have seen lots of beautiful pictures
of minimalist homes online or
maybe we've had this vision of how we
want our space to look in our head.
And then we take a look around our space
and we can become a little paralyzed
because
the current version of our home is so
far removed from where we want it to go.
First of all, when it comes to
decluttering but really this goes for
anything you want to accomplish in life
really.
That doing something is always better
than doing nothing.
And every step you take brings you one
step closer to reaching your goal even
if that step
wasn't the best place to start or the
most efficient way to go about it.
If you want to write a book, you don't
make a to-do list with write a book.
You break it up. So you think of a topic
you maybe describe
the protagonist, you write an outline, or
you write the first
chapter, or even the first paragraph.
That is how you can do it with
decluttering your home as well.
Exactly how to break it up into smaller
tasks kind of depends on your
personality.
And also your personal situation and
also the amount of time and energy that
you have
available to declutter your home. But
here are some examples.
You could set a timer to declutter for
15 minutes per day.
You could write down a plan to declutter
your kitchen and then add one drawer or
one cabinet per day
and then just follow that list as you
move along. You could try the minimalism
game where you declutter one item the
first day,
two items the second day, so on and so
forth until you reach the 30 days.
And I also have a minimalism
decluttering challenge video that you
can accomplish within one month.
So I will leave that for you in the
description box below as well.
And the last decluttering strategy that
I want to share with you today is
something I call doing the switcheroo.
So let me explain what that means.
Decluttering and getting rid of stuff is
very much focused on
less. On giving things up. So maybe you
used to have 200 items in your wardrobe
and now after decluttering
you're left with only 75 items. That
means that you gave up
125 items of clothing, which could be a
whole wardrobe on its own. So it's very
much
focused on what we are giving up by
decluttering items.
And this is especially hard when it
comes to dealing with items that we are
not using,
we haven't been using them for a while,
but they still
are very good. And they still look new.
And getting rid of them would be such a
waste, because what if we might need them
someday?
So we better hang on to them, because
maybe we'll need it next week or next
month or next year.
And this way of thinking is again very
much focused on what we stand to lose by
letting go of that item.
So now it's time to do the switcheroo
and focus on what we stand to gain
from letting that item go. Let's say that
it's a bread maker that you haven't used
for over a year.
If you give it up, that means that you
will not be able to make bread anymore
yourself.
Or at least not as easily. So that is
what you'll stand to lose. But let's look
at what you'll stand to gain from giving
up this item. One is that by getting rid
of it it immediately clears up a huge
amount of space in your kitchen.
Second is that your kitchen becomes
easier to clean because of that.
The third is that cooking and being in
your kitchen becomes more enjoyable
because there's less clutter.
Fourth is that your health may start to
improve, because it is nicer to be in
your kitchen now, so you're cooking more.
And five is that you're no longer
feeling that bad feeling of guilt every
time you look at the bread maker.
Because it's there, and you feel like you
need to use it, and you're not.
So when you're faced with these tough
decisions, try to switch it around and
ask yourself
what do you stand to gain from giving up
this item. A huge thanks to all my
patrons for supporting this channel and
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If you'd like to see more videos from me
you can always join us over there. I also
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there,
share more about my personal life. As
well as
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It's five dollars a month,
and of course you can start and cancel
anytime. If you want more minimalism,
right here is 50 things I don't buy or
own.
And right here is minimalist decor and
how to simplify your home.
As always, questions, comments
conversations down below. Have a
wonderful day my friends and I'll see
you next week!
Bye bye
