If you’ve been around awhile you know that last year ended on a rough note for me. And with 2020 being the year that it was, I am sure a lot of you can relate – sadly. I found myself becoming mechanical and just doing tasks because I had to get it done to function in life. The energy was draining from me at an alarming rate and I just didn’t understand why I was no longer enjoying the things I most love.
I know I was in a state of mourning my grandmother, but what I didn’t realize was that along with that, I was dealing with all these other responsibilities. With a child at home in virtual school, with the hubs working from home (might I add on his own schedule that seems to start 3 hours after mine.), with all the tasks I take on, I was just not coping.
My mind was in a cluttered state. And the clutter at home, due to circumstances beyond my control made it hard for me to really see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I don’t know about you, but when I am overwhelmed, I find myself losing motivation to address it. It becomes too overwhelming to deal with the cause of the overwhelm. It’s like when you have a crying baby and he gets overtired then can’t go to sleep and then you basically want to crawl under a blanket and wave a white flag.
In a nutshell, that was what was happening to me. Unbeknownst to me, I became the overtired baby unable to soothe myself to sleep.
Storage spaces are a pensieve
When I look at my closet space, it’s a time capsule holding in a manner of organized chaos; a pensieve full of sentimental value, mementos of significant days, and unclaimed wishes that seem to weigh me down in the form of clothing. And perhaps the reason I find it so difficult to clean/organize or purge that space is because I then have to face those emotions attached to each article of clothing.
What I realize now, is that physical things cannot take you back to a memory, it cannot cause you pain; a physical thing has no soul that can grab hold of yours. The soul is in the memory itself, time stamped by the significance it held for you. And that dress, it was essentially what clothed you at the time of that event playing out.
My question to myself is: would that moment be less significant to me had I not been wearing that dress?
And for things I have not used or am holding on to as a wish for the future; what if the future holds within it even more for you then what you are wishing for?
In that moment, I gave myself the permission to let go of the attachments that these had. If it did not serve me in a purposeful, utilitarian way, why is it taking space in my home?
And so began the purge.
Tips to declutter your Closet
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I love it?
- NO – purge.
- YES – move to question 2.
- Do I wear it?
- NO – Purge
- YES – Move to question 3.
- Does it fit properly for my current size?
- NO – Purge
- YES – Move to question 4.
- Is it itchy, scratchy or pilling?
- YES – Purge
- NO – Move to question 5.
- Does this item project the image I would like for myself?
- NO – Purge
- YES – This item has been certified KEEPER STATUS through this rigorous questionnaire.
- Do I love it?
Create a donation box.
Having a set place to drop any unwanted articles makes it easy to declutter on an ongoing basis.
Choose a donation center or a cause you would like to support.
Having a purpose makes letting go easier because there is a reason you are making the donation. It gives your belonging another life, and sometimes, when we let do of something sentimental, it gives us a type of comfort knowing that someone else may find joy in it.
Keep ALL your clothes – despite it being out of season, in your closet.
This may seem counter productive, BUT, hear me out. Most clothes can be modified or used as a layering piece and styled to fit multiple seasons. Having all your “inventory” out in the open allows you to be mindful of purchasing excess and often duplicates.
Use storage containers and systems that are effective.
Use clear bins or a labeling system that shows the contents of your space. If you know what you have, you will use it. If you can see it, you know its there. The final result is a clutter free space that looks neat and encourages you to keep it tidy.
Sentimental Items.
We all have them. Precious items we just cannot part with. If possible find an alternate location for them. Keeping them in your closet takes up space. Something I love doing with sentimental belongings is make them into décor. If I am not able to utilize them in a decorative way, I will store them separately in a designated place.
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