When I talk to people about the idea of a minimalism, simple, intentional lifestyle the first thing they say is that they know they have too much stuff. The thought of "having to" get rid of "everything" is such a big, overwhelming thought that they are afraid to start. Today's challenge is about baby steps, small victories that over time can add up to a more simple life, one with less clutter. Here's a few ideas for small scale decluttering:
1. Car - People have different sized families, schedules and needs. Understanding this, a single person's car isn't necessarily the cleanest, and the family with three kids isn't necessarily the messiest. What if you took just one hour on your day off - planned, like an appointment - to clean our your car? You could start by getting rid of the trash that's fallen (or tossed) onto the floors, all those loose receipts everywhere, and flyers and stubs that were on or in your windshield at one point. Next you could pull out everything that should be in the house or garage, clothing, shoes, tools, boxes and bags, etc. Go through all the little compartment where you store stuff like CDs, spare straws and spoons, napkins, pens, directions to places you had to go. Let it all go, clean it all out so you only have in your car what you need, or what brings you joy (like favorite cds). If you feel motivated by how much better your car looks you could even wipe the dust out of it with a damp rag and vacuum.
One hour will give you a more peaceful ride.
2. Desk - This could be your desk at work, your desk at home, even your dining room or kitchen table if that's where you're on your computer or do homework or research. Start by throwing away everything you no longer need. Next, make a small pile of what you need to keep, but doesn't belong on your desk. Maybe it's a filing pile? Maybe it's a pile of things to get put away around the office or house. Is there anything left on your desk you're sure you really need there? Then wipe it down, water it, or do whatever you should do to make it looking the best it can in your space. This whole process should only take about half an hour or less. Now when you sit down to work, just having less clutter around you can remove added tension so you can work in a more pleasant environment.
3. Office/Cubicle/Corner of the Room - Some people still work in an office, or part of an office like a cubicle, while others now work from home, usually in the corner of their bedroom or kitchen when they start. Take about 30-60 minutes to clean up the area you work in. My pattern is usually start with trash, then put away what you need but doesn't belong in that spot, then clean and organize what you do need in your space. It really does make people more productive to work in an uncluttered space.
4. Junk Drawer - Okay this one's tricky. A junk drawer is typically where we throw things that we don't need, don't recognize but we're afraid to throw it away, or it's a place for "just in case" items. There's a minimalist rule some people use that says if you can replace it in under $20 minutes for under $20, throw it out. Most of the time, "just in case" never comes. That's WHY we have junk drawers full of stuff. Take a half hour to go through your junk drawer. Toss everything you can't identify that you know has been there more than 6 months (3 months would be better, but Baby Steps). Now throw out the stuff you don't need. If you have a few working pens and pencils, throw out the stubby, chewed on, no eraser, broken point pencils! You'll probably never need 47 rubber bands either - keep maybe 3, toss the rest. Receipts and little slips of paper either need to be filed or tossed. Tools need to be returned to toolboxes or wherever you keep the rest of your tools. Grab the loose change and start a loose change jar, or else put it in your pocket. You get the idea. Toss the trash. Put away what needs to be put away. Organize what's left. See a pattern? Again, it's a small thing but it reduces tension. I can't explain how. Here's my experience:
I had too many utensils for cooking. Every time I opened or closed the draw I had to fumble around to find something, or rearrange them to get the drawer to close. I actually used everything in the drawer too, no odd things I didn't. I decided I could get by with 2 spatulas instead of my 2 good ones I used over and over and 3 plastic ones people had melted either in a hot pan or in the dishwasher. I have two whisks now, one large and one much smaller. No need for four of them. I only need one vegetable peeler, one ladle, one metal serving spoon, etc. Now every time I open the drawer, I find exactly what I need right away. When I put things away in there, I don't have to move it all around to get the drawer closed (lots of frustration gone on that one). Everything in the utensil drawer is metal, good quality, and the one I would've grabbed for most often anyway.
5. Purse/Wallet/Briefcase - This is a quick 15 minute baby step to get you started if you STILL aren't ready to tackle decluttering. Grab your purse or wallet. What are the 3 steps? You should know them by now. Toss the trash, receipts, wrappers, etc. Then put away the things you don't need to carry with you every day. Side note, I found I didn't need to carry ALL those store loyalty cards with me EVERY day. I keep a few, like the closest grocery store and pharmacy ones, but I leave the ones at home I don't use often, like the hardware store, the frozen yogurt place, Ikea, Big Lots, the grocery store that's out of the way I rarely go to, the clothing store I only shop from once a year to get my daughter themed clothing at Christmas, etc. Now my wallet and keychain are less cluttered. No more digging for the cards I use the most. They're all I carry now. The rest is in a safe place at home where I can grab them when I know I'm headed to those places. They'll never be a spur of the moment place for me, only a planned visit for something specific. Once the extra clutter is gone, organize your purse or wallet so you get to the things you use most very quickly. The stuff you still need to carry but don't use often, move to an area inside the purse or wallet that's out of the way - that odd zippered compartment inside the wallet behind the credit card slots, for example.
Whichever you choose, start doing something small today and with enough small victories, the larger ones will happen too. Then you'll be on your way to living a more intentional, simple life.
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