I have been cleaning out our entire flat for over 6 months and I think it has been extremely worthwhile. So far, I have missed absolutely nothing and have never regretted giving anything away. On the contrary, I am almost surprised myself that we still have everything we need. The huge advantage is that I now know exactly what we have and what is where and practically never have to look for anything again.
The top 3 challenges when cleaning out:
- Spent or wasted money - if you have bought something that you don't use or wear, it won't help you if you just keep it because it was expensive or cost money. On the contrary, the item will regularly remind you of your bad purchase... The money has already been spent and can't fly back into your wallet. So it makes much more sense to let the item move on and admit to yourself that it was a bad purchase from which you learned something. In the future, you'll be much more selective and less likely to make impulsive purchases.
- Many don't want to simply donate the things or give them away. They spend months thinking about who else might enjoy the things or how they could sell them and never get anywhere. Donate your things today to a second-hand shop or a charitable organisation. This way, the items will be put back into circulation and used, and you will have more space.
- Sentimental items: these items are usually very complicated because they are linked to good memories and most of the time we have owned them for a long time or inherited them. However, if you don't need these things and they don't make you happy (anymore), it's time to let them go. Maybe it will help if you take a photo of the item. Another trick is to set a clear spatial limit, i.e. all memories have to fit into a certain box. That's how I do it with my boys. Another tip I use is to think about the future and what your children or descendants will do with the things or think about them... I prefer to decide for myself what to do with the things.
The positive side of decluttering is that you have to clean up much less often and it is much easier to keep your home clean and tidy. You will (almost) never have to look for anything again, as every thing has a "home".
