How to Make Tough Decluttering Decisions

The things that we keep are the nest for our memories, dreams, stories, and comforting moments. Some are easy to let go of and some are more challenging to leave behind due to a variety of personal reasons.

I'm currently in the process of consolidating everything that I have and making declutter decisions about what I really want to bring along into this new life chapter.

So join me today as I discover how to make hard decisions about decluttering.

When to declutter

I've already left so many things behind last year, and after downsizing everything to just one suitcase and a daypack, I've brought only the most beloved essentials.

But it's time for change and renewal, and today I want to share with you the three things that I've decided to declutter.

These things have traveled with me across multiple borders, taking up space not only in my suitcase but also in my mind.

And while making that decision, I finally understood what actually was standing behind them and why it was so difficult to decide whether to declutter them or not.

And now I know what I'm really letting go of with them. Maybe you can relate to my thoughts, and maybe we have a lot in common, maybe we don’t, but let's see.

How to make decluttering decisions

1. Foldable water bottle

The first thing on today's list is a foldable water bottle.

I bought this bottle about two years ago as a New Year's gift to myself. I was very much into all things zero waste and functional, and I am still into them, so I gave in and decided to purchase it.

But today, I'm going to declutter it, because it just didn't work for me.

The silicone smell never goes away, I can feel it, the water tastes bad, and I even tried to repurpose it as a hot water bottle, but it leaks.

I've been giving this water bottle chances over and over again, but then I asked myself why.

And I finally saw what I was afraid of letting go with that very water bottle. I was afraid to lose the image of myself as a cool and sustainable consumer, a perfect minimalist who makes things work one way or another, and a careful buyer who makes weighted decisions and who doesn't waste money on trends.

2. Linen pants

The second item on today's list are these linen pants.

Bought from an independent designer and seamstress, they have been worn and loved a lot. And this spring I added wide cuffs to make them align with my body more. I received a lot of compliments on them, too.

So, how come they ended up in a to-be-decluttered pile? Well, it's very simple. It's because I allowed myself to acknowledge that I don't love them anymore, and I also saw what kept me from letting them go: attachment to the past and routines and preferences that are gone now.

I didn't see these pants in my future anymore, so I decided to let them go.

I have learned a lot with these pants, such as how to make autumnal colors work with my cooler type of appearance, how to add cuffs, and how to sew them to make everything look neat.

And these skills are never going away. These skills simply cannot be decluttered, because they are so valuable.

All the work and skills that I've invested in them and lacking the courage to part with those efforts. The latter was actually a revelation.

Yes, I always try to keep and take good care of the things that are either handmade by me or revamped by me, but there always should be a space for maneuver. Rules are killing the fluidity and spontaneity in life, in the life of all of us.

3. Book of poems

The third thing that I've decided to declutter is the book of poems. This book has a very interesting story. It's written by one of my beloved Russian-speaking poets, whose name is Alexander Vedensky.

First, I read his poems when I was only 15, and back then he wasn't even officially published in the country, because during the Soviet times he was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually died in camps as someone who the regime didn't like.

This is the first complete edition of his works. It's a very rare book. It traveled with me a lot, but going through my possessions lately, I try to remember when I opened it the last time, when I truly read it. It was months ago.