De-cluttering Life

Are you drowning in clutter?

At Christmas time, when I take down decorations, I put everyday decor into the Christmas boxes so it is out of sight for the holidays.  When I took down the Christmas decorations I made a conscious decision to put back only half of the 'trinkits' and decor and de-clutter our lives.

From there I began thinking about how to further emancipate our lives from 'stuff'.

I started in the bathroom cabinets, moved through the kitchen, the hutch the living room.

I connected my daughter to this process by suggesting that we have a spring yard sale of which half the proceeds of her items sold could go to a charity of her choice and the other half towards the item she is saving her allowance for.  Any of the things I sell I am doing the same 50:50 donation to charity.  It is a win-win situation ~ we declutter and learn gracious giving practices!

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

William Morris

Here are some easy ideas for starting a declutter:

1)  One day - one closet.  Keep just the A-list clothing, the pieces that make you feel well.  Re purpose others for cleaning rags or donate to a used clothing store, free-cycle online or kijiji worthy articles.

2) Kitchen Gadgets - overflowing the drawers.  6 Corkscrews, a melon ball peeler, 3 paring knives and that thing that does something.  Put gadgets in a box on your counter - when you use one put it in a drawer as a useful tool.  After 2 months on the counter - consider these tool extras and unnecessary clutter and send them on their way!

There are many websites with tools to continue decluttering your physical environment. 

The ultimate goal is to declutter your mind. We are bombarded daily by Virtual Clutter - cellphones, email ... the pressure to be instantly and always available can make us edgy and hurried.  Put the brakes on technology and open the soul to life lived authentically. Here are two ideas to try that will bring about mental well being:

1) Set boundaries.  Turn the phone off during meals, leisure time and relationship time.

2) Pick one night a week to practice unplugging.  Start by going without your phone, then without the lab top then really push the boundaries by turning off the tube!

DRAGON HEART CHALLENGE
What is one way you've found to de-clutter your life?  Comment below to earn this Myself Monday's points!

Think on these and happy decluttering :) 

"The more you have, the more you are occupied.
The less you have, the more free you are."Mother Teresa

"Clutter is a physical manifestation
of fear that cripples our ability to grow."H.G. Chissell

"The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away
such parts of the marble block as are not needed -
it is a process of elimination."Elbert Hubbard