Tag: decluttering

To deal with aspirational clutter, aspire to something better (think Japanese minimalism)

As someone who struggles with a lot of clutter, I find some of it easier to deal with than others. Anything that can go in the recycling or the garbage I find easy to toss out. But even when I do that, I still have too much stuff lying around.

The stuff I find hard to get rid of is stuff I find useful and that will make my life better somehow. So I was happy when I found this article touch on that: What is aspirational clutter, and how do I get rid of it? It’s a particularly difficult form of clutter to banish from your home because you have to adjust how you think about yourself in the decluttering process.

You probably have lots of aspirational clutter at your home now: those art supplies you never use, those books you will never read, those tools you never pick up, those clothes you will never get to wear. And much more. The usefulness of things and the hope you can become better means they are especially hard to get rid of.

One way to do so is to aspire to something better than also helps you get rid of things. For me, I am inspired by these designs found here: 13 Productive Japanese Home Office Designs – Edward George – edwardgeorgelondon.com. As something of a maximalist, I doubt I will ever get that disciplined in redesigning my work space. But having a goal to become more like that could help me banish so many of the things I have lying around now that someday — SOME DAY — I will get to (but probably won’t).

If you find you still have clutter around your house even after big declutter sessions, ask yourself: is this aspiration clutter? And if it is, ask what do you have to change to be able to deal with it? Perhaps aspiring to live simpler is a way to do that.

For more on Japanese minimalist, check this out: How to Embrace ‘Ma’ (間) and Japanese Minimalism In Your Home – theartofzen.org

Self help for spring time

Bruno Ganz as Damiel in

It’s spring time. Not just a time for spring cleaning, but also a good time for self improvement. Here’s some links that you may find can help with that.

 

Not making progress on your resolution to declutter? Start with your fridge!

a clutter fridge.

I came across this advice and I highly recommend it: Don’t Try to Declutter Your Whole Life. Start With Your Fridge. | Wirecutter.

Let’s face it: decluttering can be a hard thing to do, and an easy thing to avoid. To get over that avoidance, start the practice of decluttering by tackling your fridge.

There’s some good reasons to do so. One: the amount of decluttering you have to do is limited, so it doesn’t end up feeling like a never ending chore. Two: you are less attached to items in your fridge than you are old clothes or books or photo albums, so tossing old food that you will not eat is less emotionally difficult (I hope). Three: you will see benefits right away and that good feeling should help you move on to your next item.

So get a move on that decluttering resolution this weekend and clear out your fridge!

P.S. If your fridge is in good shape, then start with your pantry. Or where you store your dry goods. If all that is in great shape, then pick one closet.

Ten good pieces of good advice

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  1. Here’s some simple advice for personal finance.
  2. Something to think about after the holidays: Paul Graham on Work.
  3. For small home lovers:  How to downsize before you move into a small home.
  4. Relatedly, here’s the difference between Peter Walsh and Marie Kondo’s decluttering methods.
  5. Here’s Martha on things that make your home look messy.
  6. For those feeling hopeless: the joy was leaking out of my life… talking to a friend saved me.
  7. In case you are feeling down, here’s a mental health wellbeing check in.
  8. A good list: 50 things I know.
  9. Also good: to lead a meaningful life become your own hero, perhaps.
  10. I don’t agree with this, but it’s interesting: saving seconds is better than hours.

Decluttering 101

I like this piece: Why We Clutter, and What to Do About It – The New York Times. If you never decluttered your place before, it’s a good place to start.

Decluttering is like dieting though: you can make an effort to cut back, but unless you address the thoughts and behaviors that lead to clutter/overeating, you may end up back where you started.

I recommend while you are decluttering to take note of what you have excess of. Is it too much paper, clothing, books, utensils, tech stuff, or something else altogether? Those are the areas you need to focus your analysis of if you want to have any hope of living with less clutter. In the end you may be fine with periodically paring down the amount of clothes or books or stationery you have from time to time.