During the summer, I looked at my room I’ve lived in for 13 years and realized, “Wow, I have way too many things.” My summer goal this year was to de-clutter and throw out everything I didn’t need. But this goal can also be used during your semester! Here are my tips and thoughts about de-cluttering.
De-cluttering can seem to be a very intimidating thing. I really didn’t know where to start. So, I decided to sit down and make a list of things that I need and don’t need for whatever was in my room. First, I started with high school things. I had a ton of high school projects such as writing, drawing and science projects that were just stuffed under my bed or taking up space on my shelves. So, I decided to throw out papers that I know won’t be useful to me and kept drawings that I know I worked hard on or meant something to me.
Then, I moved on to clothes. One problem that I have is that I’m way too emotionally attached to my clothes. I found shirts and dresses that I haven’t worn in years but still felt like I had to keep it in my closet because I figured I’d wear it “one day.” So I took a garbage bag and put in all the clothes that I haven’t worn or I know for sure I won’t wear. After two full garbage bags, I donated them to my local donation center. Lastly, I had a lot of junk stuff just lying around in my room – from old jewelry to dried up glue and markers. Those things made their way to the trash can.
After a massive two days of de-cluttering, here are my thoughts about why you should de-clutter:
1. Put the past in the past.
Along with the things I threw away, I felt like I was too stuck up with everything I went through in high school. I was shocked to see that I had stacks of papers and notebooks from freshman year and I didn’t even understand why I had them. Throwing out my old high school things made me feel like I really was moving on with my life and entering the adulthood phase.
2. You’ll have a neat and clean room.
Coming home to a clean room is the best feeling to have. I noticed that I had too many things in my room, which just gave me an unnecessary amount of added stress. Now when I enter into my room, it feels neat, clean and less stressful. It is as if a heavy weight was just lifted off of me. I never thought that de-cluttering would change my attitude going into my room, but it has!
3. It’s a chance to donate.
It didn’t occur to me that I would get a chance to donate two big garbage bags of clothes. And honestly, it felt so good because I don’t remember the last time I donated! I even donated small furniture including a nightstand and a chair.
4. It’s a way to de-stress.
De-cluttering is honestly a really good way to de-stress. It starts off stressful, but as you get the hang of it, you start to realize that it feels good to throw out the unnecessary things just hanging out in your room. I felt that I never got a chance to have a clean start before college, so doing this over the summer gave me that chance.
Whenever you have a chance, take the time to de-clutter. It is honestly the most productive and self-improving thing to do. Good luck!
If you are in the Richmond area and want to donate, here are some places you can contact: