Simplifying Your Surroundings -or - De-Cluttering Your Life

Does this look like your space?

For today's entry, I chose the "Declutter Your Life" task of the Art of Manliness "30 Days" series. This is something I've been dealing with for many years, and I think it's become necessary for my mental health to severely trim down and organize my belongings. I'm sure some of you need to do this as well, so I'm going to share my plan of attack and hopefully you'll benefit from it too.

Living with tons of superfluous stuff, whether organized or not, can be stressful. You need to find a pen, so you start looking in places you think you've seen one. After spending an extended period of time digging through all this accumulated crap, you can come out quite stressed and pen-less. I know, I've done it. 

During your life, you'll reach a point where enough is enough and you need to simplify your surroundings. I've reached that point. Hell, I've been in my current home for seven months and -still- haven't gotten completely unpacked. That just screams too much crap. I don't even know what's in half the boxes I haven't unpacked yet. 

In the article linked above, Mr. McKay details a list of things that simplifying and de-cluttering your space can do. I'll copy it here:

• Stress Reduction - Having a space free of clutter can allow you to know where everything is and be able to access it easily. Knowing this can help you live more stress-free.
• It can give you a fresh start - Ever been through a bad breakup after living with your then significant other? Ever move into your own place with a bunch of crap you used to share with him/her? Yeah. I've been there. Getting rid of a bunch of crap will let you rebuild the way YOU want to.
• Simplicity is a time-reducer - Again, having less stuff in your place allows you to organize properly and know where things are. This will save you time when you're looking for that specific item you need right now.
• It has the potential to make you some much-needed cash - Instead of throwing all that extra crap away, appraise it. Can it be sold, or is it crap? Obviously you'll want to toss all the crap, but anything that can be sold should be. Money in the pocket is always nice!

You may be thinking, "But Justin, how do I go about de-cluttering my living space? I need all my crap!" - Well fear not, dear reader, I'm about to blow your frickin' mind! De-cluttering your space may seem like a daunting task; trust me, I know. But I'm going to list some things I've learned in my research that will help you start your new, simplified lifestyle.

• Make Time - Unless you live in a studio apartment, getting rid of clutter is not an afternoon project. You'll probably need a full weekend to at least make a large dent in it. Set aside a couple days and get it done!
• Stock Up on Necessities - Inevitably there's going to be some stuff you'll be throwing out. Make sure you have enough garbage bags for trash and things you may want to donate. Also make sure you don't mix the two up!
• Pick One Room at a Time - Undertaking something like this can be quite overwhelming. It's like packing up your place to move. What you'll want to do here is pick one room at a time, get everything cleaned out and organized, then move to the next room. If it makes you feel more comfortable, do the more common rooms first - Living room, Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen - then move to the less-used rooms, if you have them.

As you work room by room, sort through your stuff. Make four piles: Keep, Donate, Sell, Trash. You'll want to examine everything you sort through. Is it in good condition? Are you going to use it? Could you make money by selling it? Keep these questions in your mind when you're sorting through your stuff. Think quickly and be decisive. If you hesitate, it's likely you don't need it. Unless it's irreplaceable, you can get rid of it.

When you're working on your paper items, bills and what-have-you, make sure to shred any old documents that may have personal information. Keep only the most current things and make a mental note to organize them at the end of the process.

Sorting through your clothes should go something like this: Old, ratty undergarments (Socks, underwear, bras, etc) go in the trash. Torn up T-Shirts can make pretty excellent rags, so save a couple of those to cut up, but toss anything you don't think you can donate or sell. Go through and think about each item of clothing: Are you going to wear it more than once or twice in an extended period of time? If not, get rid of it. If so, go ahead and keep it. If you're changing your style at the same time you're doing this, you may want to think about how each item of clothing will fit into your new wardrobe and get rid of anything that won't.

Time passes. You're done. You've successfully reduced the amount of stuff in your house. You're probably already starting to feel better about your living area. You're probably wondering how you'll keep all that clutter from reappearing. Well don't fret, there's an answer for that too! All you have to do is follow these steps:

• For every new thing you bring home, get rid of something you already have; there's probably something you haven't used in a while that you could stand removing.
• Every night, take a few minutes and go room by room, removing any clutter that built up during the day.
• When you get your mail, immediately sort through it. Get rid of the "junk mail", organize your bills, etc.

After all is said and done, and you've gotten into the groove, you'll enjoy your space a lot more. Confidence will grow from organization and a presentable living space. You may even start looking for other areas of your life to de-clutter; If you have an office at work, you may look for ways to clean it up and organize it better. 

The steps I detailed above are merely bits of information I've gleaned from various blogs and websites regarding this subject. Feel free to share your methods and tips/tricks in the comments section below.

Until next time,

~J