Have you ever moved house?
It's horrible, isn't it!
There was one very unstable period in my life where I moved 8 times in four years. I can assure you, I did not undertake these moves very willingly. Life was throwing a few curved balls my way and I had to just try to keep my head above water.
What I can tell you about this period is that a) I became very adept at packing up and unpacking my belongings and b) I became pretty ruthless in what I actually needed to live. There were some days where I'd look at my stuff and say to myself that I just couldn't be bothered packing that crap up one more time, and instead I'd make another delivery to Vinnies!
It just takes sooooo much mental and physical effort and time to move. It's no fun at all....in fact it can be rather torturous. Each item needs to be wrapped and fitted into a box. It's decision after decision: should I keep this? When was the last time I used that? Do I need to take this? In the beginning, all those decisions can feel like hard work and at times, really slow going. But as with most things, the more you do it the easier it gets, and suddenly, the decisions are quite easy.
Moving is the perfect opportunity to assess your life going forward and what you need in it to make it great! Often that means less stuff to free us up. This is a great! Because once we've moved and we're settled, you have that feeling that this is a fresh start. It's exciting. It feels like there are loads of doors that can open for you. You're looking outwards and are open to opportunity knocking!
So. My theory is that if you need your bottom kicked to get on top of your clutter, to start living a life less cluttered, then one of the most effective ways of getting on top of it is to pretend to move!
That could be a lot of boxes!
I'm not saying you need to pack up your entire house - that would be extreme! (But super dedicated and probably VERY effective!).
But, break it down into smaller, less daunting chunks. Focus on one area in your house. Could be a room, or just one cupboard. For the sake of this exercise, let's say, you're going to focus on a wardrobe.
Before you start, make sure you do have some boxes at the ready: for donations and for rubbish (hopefully, you'll need a few ;-P).
Empty out THE ENTIRE WARDROBE OF EVERYTHING! Sorry to yell, but this is vital for the success. Pile it all up. Take a good hard look at how much stuff you have. Clean out the wardrobe making sure it's spick and span for things to be returned to it later.
Then we'll Marie Kondo the pile of clothes. Pick every item up and if it doesn't fit or spark joy, then choose either the 'donate' or 'rubbish' box! Repeat until you've addressed everything!
Side note - did you know that most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time? Think about that. Does it apply to you? If so, what can do about it? Close your eyes and imagine how beautifully ordered and presented your wardrobe could look without half of what you have. Imagine how liberating that could feel!
Return your 'keep' clothes to the wardrobe. Reassess if you need to purchase things like scarf or belt hangers to keep these items in order. Do you need shoe racks?
How did you go?
Once you're done and you've dropped off items to the charity or rubbish bin, have a look at what you've achieved. Does it look all in order and easily accessible? Does it feel fantastic? I bet it does! And good on you for taking the plunge.
And if became all too much and you bailed, don't feel bad. I mean it! We've all been there. It will get easier next time, or maybe the next. It takes persistence and patience sometimes because decluttering is HARD! You tried, and that is the most important step, so celebrate that too!
Do you need help?
Let me grab my cape and do the drum roll, because I'm here to help! Yep. I do in-home visits in Sydney and Skype sessions for those elsewhere. Reach out if you need that decluttering buddy to help you on this journey!
