My pursuit of happiness sets me thinking about decluttering. I want to declutter so many areas of my life. I want to declutter my living room, my dining room, my kitchen, my closets, my book shelf, my mind, my emotions and my mind.
Having more things means more responsibilities. If I keep on stuffing my home with more and more things that increases my responsibility in the direct proportion with the goods we possess. Who in his or her right mind would like to shoulder more and more obligations/duties/liabilities? Having less commodities or articles sets you free from many things and in return brings joy and happiness.
The first thing that we decided to declutter was our credit card balance. No, we didn’t get rid of credit cards but decided to keep them for rarest of the rare cases. We also made a pact that we will do our shopping using cash only. We won’t clutter our credit card sheets with more numbers. It is such a huge relief to know that now we have to make almost zero payments to credit card companies. I think everyone deserves to feel such contentment and happiness.
I want to declutter my home. The way my home looks, I don’t like it. I don’t know why we stash away things for future use which we probably won’t even remember to take out and have a look. I too have heaps of such things. Something tumbles out of one corner or another.
So I have started decluttering. I am doing it everyday. I just want to start small and continue doing it for 365 days a year.
I have kept an unused bucket. Before going to sleep I keep it in any room and start from a small corner. I go through things in that corner quickly and throw it it the bucket. In the morning I give it to our garbage collector.
Its summer now, so I am going to wash all the winter clothes and then store it in two places. Place number one warm clothes will go charity next year and place number two warm clothes will remain with us for our own use. I am unpacking summer clothes too. One set of clothes will go to some orphanage and another will remain with us. I know I will not get rid of clothes only but some of the guilt associated with it.
Decluttering is a great stress buster too. You let o of the emotional baggage associated with it and you feel free and light. I don’t stash away things for emotional reasons. I have given away my little ones expensive toys and clothes to other kids. Its time for others to enjoy those toys and look pretty in those clothes.
Now my younger one is growing up a bit so I will not take one sided decision but sit with her before decluttering her things. Decluttering should be a democratic process and one should not overstep in others shoes.
You are on a wonderful inner quest, Alka (I have been reading all your ‘happiness’ posts): God bless you, and may you be richly rewarded.
De-cluttering is all important, with reference to your closet, your (e-)mailbox, your bank account as much as your mind.
But also reflect that it is only when a lot of clutter has already piled up that one begins to wonder in this vein. Brings to mind William Blake’s prophetic lines: The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom, (for) you never know what is enough until you have seen what is more than enough.
Good luck with your efforts, within your mind and without. We try to do it all the time in our own home too. And yes, I have to live with a lot of things I don’t like in this regard because my wife and daughter don’t always see eye to eye with me, and good family living demands quite a bit of democratic tolerance!
Thank you very much for your kind words and encouragement. And I agree with you fully regarding democratic tolerance. 🙂 Please keep writing. It has been a while since I visited your blog but I will do it soon. I learn so much from your blog posts.
That reminds me that I too have to declutter my cupboard. 😀
I know you hardly get time. But keep giving away things whatever catches your eye and seems you have not used it in the past 6 months.
Awesome post. I was recently decluttering my house after we painted it. It brings such peace and also some positive energy.
Decluttering relationships also is a quite an interesting thing. Just spend an hour talking to people around and one can declutter the mis conceptions each one can carry. I keep doing this with my MIL and she is happy that way.
Declutter is a great word.. your approach towards life is noteworthy!
Great writing too.