When was the last time you did a spring cleaning? Or maybe took all the clothes you never wear out of your closet and got rid of them or donated them? Either way, maybe you still have things that don’t serve a purpose to you anymore and are just taking up space. How did you end up with so many things in the first place?
Getting rid of objects whether it be clothing, books, knick knacks or objects that have been collected over time can be a struggle especially if you don’t have the time or energy to look through everything. Deciding if an object is something you want to keep isn’t always an easy choice. We keep clothes and shoes that may be completely falling apart or maybe they don’t even fit us anymore. Why are we keeping things if we don’t use them?
In Marie Kondo’s series on Netflix called “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” she talks about how people collect items over time and that it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Going through your things and sorting out what objects bring you joy and which ones don’t is the key to clearing your space. The episodes in the series start with Kondo briefly speaking about how she goes through the clutter starting with categories and not sectioning off the rooms themselves.
Kondo’s list to declutter from beginning to end is: clothing, books, loose paper, and specfically, her komono (which also includes the living space and finally sentimental objects). She discusses that her way to tidy up includes not only figuring out what objects you use and bring you joy, but which objects are not needed in your home anymore. Her idea of decluttering is a form of minimalism where objects are put in a pile to keep or get rid of. Keeping a home or space simple and decluttered can be the path to minimalism.
Another main point of the series and minimalism in general is to ask oneself what things are of most value to you and then to make those objects part of your life. This doesn’t mean everything in your house follows this rule, such as cleaning products or things you need in the house. Rather, if you believe you have too many things, stop and ask yourself if you really need it.
Besides trying to decipher if an object brings you joy or not, having your clothes folded a certain way or arranging your garage, can be stepping stones to try and minimize the clutter you own. This doesn’t mean you have to be a messy person to want to minimize the stuff you have, but it’s a life choice that can assure that you don’t let the clutter take over. So if you feel the need to, start minimalizing!