Declutter- to organize, prioritize, or remove mess or clutter from a place.
Decluttering is one of the most freeing exercises you can do to create new space and room for new possibilities. Often we hoard on to things that we just need to let go because it no longer serves a purpose in our lives. When it comes to decluttering we often focus on two areas clothing and accumulated paper. For many, a new season gives them a reason to declutter their closets, but there are things in our lives that need to be removed that are not inanimate objects.
In April of 2017 I embarked on a huge decluttering project. I mainly focused on my clothing closets and workspace. I ended up donating two bins and six large garbage bags of items to the salvation army after this project. It took me most of my spring break (five days in total) working all day with a few breaks.
When it comes to decluttering you should work in sections over the course of a specific time period. Since I had the time and needed to release some things my process was a little different. Decluttering created a new space for me not only physically, but spiritually and mentally as well. There was a lot of freedom that came with this process and once completed the energy in my home and life shifted and I was able to spring forward.
A few months later I took on the task of decluttering 15 things. I know you are thinking “What 15 things could you possibly declutter?” I had that same question but sat down and really took a survey of what was occupying my time, mental space, and life in general.
Of the 15 I will be sharing with you five areas of your life to declutter to create new space and possibilities.
5 Areas of Your Life to Declutter
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Kitchen Cabinets and Refrigerator– In an effort to help me move towards my fitness goal and be at optimal health, I cleaned out my cabinets and refrigerator. Some things I’m embarrassed to say lived beyond their expiration date so that was thrown away. You can donate unopened or used foods to your local neighborhood food pantry, or family and friends in need. Releasing food that would only hinder me from my progress helped me shift my thinking and get creative when it came to creating healthier meals.
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Makeup– As a former fashion and beauty blogger, I’ve accumulated lots of beauty products over the years. It also doesn’t help when I’m standing in line at various stores and pick up little beauty products to try. I had lots of makeup that I did not use and lots of makeup brushes as well. I went through my collection and got rid of products I hadn’t worn in years. I only kept the products that I loved and use frequently. I cleaned the additional brushes and gave them a new home in addition to products that were new and unused.
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Photo Albums– I take a ton of photos on my phone and never delete them. Some photos are bloopers and of course the 90,000 selfies before you get the “right one.” I have pics from vacations, graduations, girls nights and just about any other event you can think of. Normally I do not look at some of my old photos after they have been taken. They just sit there. So I cleared out my photo albums. I saved my precious memories to google photos and went on a deleting spree. It opened up space on my phone, but also allowed me to access my most precious memes easily lol.
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My office area at work– My office area in my home is pretty clear, but at work that’s a different story. I get so many random pieces of paper that end up all over my desk. At work I have what I call an “organized mess.” There were so many things everywhere, but I knew where everything was. I had to stop living like that so I cleared my office area and it opened up so much space in my section. I didn’t feel overwhelmed when I was looking for a particular document and I was at ease when I looked around my desk. I used to feel overwhelmed because there were so many things that didn’t have a home, but now everything has a place and everything is in its place.
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Social Media Pages– I mainly use Facebook and Instagram and I realize that some pages are too much of a distraction or I’m no longer interested in those types of posts. So I curate a feed that’s inspiring, informative, and entertaining by deleting pages that do not fit into those categories.
