You don’t want to discard things you may need (if you get overzealous in the cleaning, like me), and you don’t want to make decisions you will regret later. We’ll get to it all, just take your time. Tackling a small space, one space at a time is definitely easier than say, cleaning out the whole house. I’m telling you though, it’s better if you just start with one room, or failing that, one closet. Presented with such a large task, it’s easier to ignore the issue and just surf the web for more stuff to fix the problem, right? We just need more storage, more space, more things. I’m not even suggesting that you do such a thing. We all have a lot of stuff, and It’s really overwhelming to think that we have to go through and clean out our whole houses of all the things that don’t spark joy. And I can’t do it if I can’t find the floor in my house. I don’t mean that we should all be living as monks, free of all frivolous ownership, but I do want to live a life that is purposeful and meaningful. If you’ve stayed with me this far, maybe you’ll come a little farther and start to plan to divest yourself of the things that don’t bring you happiness or serve an important purpose. Maybe you don’t need all the possessions that you own, but do they at least serve a purpose for you? Are you just keeping them out of sentimental value? Or did you make an ill-advised expensive purchase, only to realize that you are no better off than before? Finding out the real reason you amassed this pile of stuff is as important to de-cluttering as the actual clean up, because without addressing the problem, we’ll just rinse and repeat. I am better because I own it, or better off at least. It doesn’t mean that I jump up and down every time I need to buy a new thing, but that it brings more joy into my life because I have that thing. It fills a need I have, and I feel better because I have a healthy mouth due to it. If you asked Marie, she would say that my toothbrush does indeed “spark joy”. What does that mean? I don’t know about you, but my toothbrush doesn’t exactly make me head over heels happy. Her show encourages people to go through their possessions, and find out if they “spark joy”, with her show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. She’s a Japanese woman who began the “ spark joy” craze on Netflix. If you haven’t heard about her, let me introduce you to Marie Kondo. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with shopping, ask yourself, “When will it be enough? When will I be satisfied?” Does it Spark Joy? What solution is this thing that you feel you “must have” providing? Is it really a need or a want? What are the long term goals you are looking to meet by getting this? If you’re just looking to treat yourself, be clear about it. People are just raccoons with credit cards, I swear. It’s easier to ignore the fact that I’m powerless if I can distract myself momentarily with shiny stuff. I probably have bought more things during this pandemic, than ever before, trying to equalize the fear and inability to control the problem by finding stuff to purchase online. We are constantly seeking outside help to fix an inside problem. Even if it’s not a need, we jump on the chance to whip out our credit cards and acquire things and stuff to fill up the spaces inside ourselves. We have been raised in a world where everything can be fixed by ordering the solution to our problems online. We have to level with ourselves, to start off with. Let’s clean and de-clutter together! The “Treat Yo’self” Trap In fact, it’s very freeing to divest yourself of unnecessary possessions. So, how do we combat the need to fill the void with stuff? I’m here to tell you that you can embrace a more minimalist lifestyle and be okay. You can have it in two days, why not live a little? We as a society are in love with the instant gratification of buying online. I know you love those shoes you saw on Facebook, but you have 22 pairs of shoes already. While it makes you feel good, or fulfilled for a short amount of time, “ boredom shopping” is a good way to really screw up your checking account and clutter up your life. And since nothing else is going on, what’s the harm in a little retail therapy? Well, there’s a couple of problems with it. If I’m not eating, I’m shopping, it feels like. Now that we’re all spending a lot more time at home, I’ve noticed that I’m acquiring things from online shopping at a kind of alarming rate.
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