How to Master the Art of Decluttering

Decluttering comes with challenges. At first, you need to find the energy to go through everything and face all of your items. Your belongings are a representation of who you are and who you used to be.

It can be confronting if you are not proud of who you were or who you have become. Going through those items and letting them go is a very healing process: you are processing your past and you make time to give all of those experiences a place.

Getting rid of those may feel like giving up on a different version of yourself.

However, I learned that the past is still in the present. Every experience I have had in my life brought me where I am today.

The past is still in my memory and it made me think the way I do. It taught me the skills I have and it gave me knowledge and wisdom. It brought me together with the people around me and separated me from the people I am no longer with.

I may never be able to physically go back, but there is no need because every day I have lived is kind of a layer of who I am. I am kind of like a growing onion: every day I grow another layer.

There has been heartache in my past, which for a long time I wished was not there. However, now I realize that life is about learning to handle our suffering. Today, there are still things that I am sad about, but through truly finding peace with who I am today, I was able to let go.

From the moment I truly accepted myself for who I am, I no longer longed for the past, for who I was, and for how things used to be. Getting rid of items attached to my past made sure I was not constantly pulled back mentally. Without physically letting go, it is hard to mentally let go, and vice versa.

You have to maintain a decluttering habit to keep a simple home because if you leave your door open, stuff just walks back into your home. Moreover, your needs and interests may change, and with that, so may your belongings.

Since we add new items, we should also get rid of items.

The second challenge of decluttering for me is finding a suitable way to dispose of my stuff. I tried to find a good home for my items and to minimize the number of things that would end up in the trash because decluttering made me feel guilty about all the trash I had created.

However, you have to come to terms with the fact that some things will have to go into the trash.

As someone who tries to be eco-friendly, I often come across people saying you should reuse things. Things are more wasteful if they are made to only be used once. For example, single-use plastics. I found that this is only partly true.

Reusing is great if it prevents you from buying another item, but when something is made to be trash, there is no point in using it more often. Using the plastic fork ten more times will not change its destiny of being in a landfill.

When something is actually trash, do yourself a favor and just get rid of it responsibly, and get reusable items that will prevent you from getting disposables in the future.

In nature, things decompose - the natural waste actually becomes useful nutritious soil. When we compost, we can do the same.

Unfortunately, not all items we declutter are compostable. And the thing is, throwing something away is not really getting rid of it. When we put something in the trash, it is out of sight, out of mind, which is what we are looking for. In reality, however, we just move the problem elsewhere.

Everything that transforms still stays part of this earth. Nothing disappears and nothing is added to this planet. Everything is just in constant transformation.

For me, this idea is reassuring and disturbing at the same time. It is reassuring because nothing is really lost. When you realize everything stays on this planet, it is easier to let go. It is disturbing as well because even with our best intentions, we cannot fix our waste crisis.

Still, the act of truly decluttering your home and living more minimally may spark an eco-consciousness in you. Waste created in the past is damage done, but how much waste I create in the future is up to me.

My definition of minimalism is getting rid of excess stuff while keeping enough to live comfortably in an enjoyable way. This means I keep more than the bare necessities.

This week our boiler broke, so we were left without warm water. We had to adjust and make do with what we did have.

When something as simple as warm water falls away, you are suddenly reminded of the luxury we usually take for granted. A boiler is not necessary to survive, but it does elevate our quality of life, so according to my definition, a boiler is a keeper.

Having less stuff can help you see the luxury in the little things. It can help you change your perspective and appreciate the things you have in your home. Through minimalist decluttering, you create awareness about your belongings, which will have a ripple effect on many other aspects of life.

The art of decluttering

If you are looking for ideas on how to declutter and become a minimalist, I hope I have helped you find yourself in the process a little bit. How do you define minimalism? Why do you declutter? Share your thoughts in the comments!