There’s nothing like a major life change or crisis situation to really put things into perspective. At this time of lock-down and a world full of uncertainty, it may be the perfect time to take stock of our home and lifestyle and ask ourselves what is really important, essential and supportive of what truly matters to us.
For each person the answer will be varied. However once we have established what truly matters to us personally, we can then look at what ‘stuff’ we actually need to support those things. E.g, if eating healthy is a top priority then what do I need in order to make that happen? If spending quality time with family is my goal, then what items or activities support that?
Write a list
Some years ago as a sort of New Years Resolution I made a list of what I wanted to focus on for that year. I wrote down about 7 things. On that list were things like, read my bible and pray more, make more healthy meals, write. When I looked at my list, I realised that in order to have the time to invest on my priorities, I needed to cut out those things that were time-wasters and distractions. The first thing to go was T.V. and pointless surfing of the net. That not only freed up time but also mental clutter. I felt more focused.
Define what matters-declutter what doesn’t
During this time of lock-down I am really working on organising and refining our home. Especially as we have a baby on the way! My goal is to remove those things that don’t support my goals and priorities and to make my home more manageable when baby arrives.
The positive thing about this time is that we are most likely much more aware of what’s essential to our daily lives. Here are some tips to evaluate and declutter while on lockdown.
1. As you go through your day take note of what you are using. E.g as you make meals from scratch think about the utensils and appliances you regularly use and those you don’t. Same with other daily routines, which beauty products do you use while getting ready, which clothes do you reach for when looking in your closet? Get rid of all those you don’t need.
2. Make money from un-used items. As you look around your home, are there items of value that you don’t need or use that others would happily buy right now? Recently we sold some ‘stagnant’ items such as a wii fit game, musical keyboard, kids sewing machine. They were like new but not being used so this was a great time to put them into the hands of someone who would use and enjoy them right now.
3. Get rid of duplicates. You may use towels on a daily basis but do you need a multitude sitting in your linen cupboard taking up space? Same with mugs/cups and the like. How many do we realistically need of each item? This may be hard if you like to know that you have backup and don’t like to waste, but think of items being used now instead of later. I also like to remind myself that it is kind of greedy to hoard items when someone else may actually need them NOW.
4. Use up items you have naturally. You may not be able to drop off items at donation centers or you may have items that aren’t ideal to donate that you could be using up naturally. Eating through items that have been sitting at the back of the pantry for awhile and finding recipes to use up the ingredients you have is a good way to declutter and save money! Maybe you have a stash of fabric that you could turn into projects or old clothes that could be cut up to make into cleaning rags. I’m going to put some of my writing paper to good use during this more quiet time. This waste not strategy will help declutter your home in a natural way.
5. Spring clean-even if it isn’t Spring where you are:) There is something about completely cleaning out a cupboard or sweeping out the cobwebs that makes us want to clear out clutter. Once you have washed and cleaned an area or room you could take the opportunity to only put back the items you truly need or love. Give away or sell the remaining. Remember that simplifying the home also means less to clean in the long run!
