After a lifetime, the ‘things’ you own can be overwhelming, especially if you want to downsize and move in the foreseeable future. You will need to declutter before you move or just to give you piece of mind about living in a tidier space. While everything is just a ‘thing’, what has sentimental value makes this process extremely difficult. Here are some keys to start you on your decluttering journey.
Start with unsentimental items
Begin your decluttering process by getting rid of items you don’t really care about but forgot to throw away. These things are often found in the garage or the kitchen. Unused or broken garden tools or disposable plastic tops or bottoms without a mate are a good starting place.
Use the sorting method
Once you begin to declutter, sort items from a room or closet into three to four piles:
- Keep
- Give to charity
- Throw away
- Think about it (optional)
You can also keep things in their place and use dot stickers to denote what pile things go into. This can be better if items are heavy or you are not ready to throw things away or give them away. If your keep pile is 90% of the items and the give away/throw away pile has a few items, you might want to reassess your choices.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Decluttering is more emotionally and physically tiring, especially in the beginning. Allow one to two hours to start. If you think you can spend six hours decluttering your kids rooms (who are in their 40’s) chances are you can’t. Give yourself some grace and declutter slowly to start.
Don’t declutter alone
When you declutter with someone else, it gives you the opportunity to discuss your choices of whether to donate/toss or keep an item. Sometimes telling the story about the item to someone else allows you to donate it to a charity. You share that story and now you can release that possession that you loved but no longer need.
If you are decluttering for an older relative include them in the decision whenever possible. Throwing out your uncle’s bobo bear from the 1950’s may seem logical to you but not to your grandmother. Reduce the chance for future anxiety by getting buy-in from the owner of the item.
Start a scrapbook
If you fondly remember your grandmother’s mixing bowl but you have no room or need for it and neither does anyone else, take a picture of it and make a scrapbook along with a description and your memories. Then donate it to another family who will make new memories.
Be honest with yourself about your possessions but research
If you have been a size 12 for the last ten years, that size 6 skirt will not fit you in the near future (I know this first hand). Let someone else enjoy that beautiful piece of clothing.
The reality is that your children or grandchildren may not want your fine china. Certainly ask them and do some research on your make and pattern but know that there is not a big market for fine china. I good tool to use is Google Lens. It is the little camera on the search bar. If you take a picture of an item, it will find an equivalent for sale online.
Remember this Chinese Proverb
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Declutter slowly and you will eventually be rewarded. Good luck.