By the title, you must have figured out that I’m talking about letting go of stuff. See, a Twitterer who was underway on a de-cluttering project said to me today, “@CyndiSeidler It’s so hard to throw things away!” I replied back, “Just think about having less stuff to deal with. It’s a mindset! Kiss stuff goodbye!” And that’s what prompted me to write this article.
Truth is, the more we have, the more we have to deal with. If we have a dozen towel sets, we have to deal with space to put them. If we have a lot of furnishings in a room, the more we have to clean. If we have lots of keepsakes we have a hard time parting with, we have to deal with what to do with them so they still hold value to us. And so on.
Photo from MoreDesignPlease.com
The way I see it, stuff has to be something we can’t live without. It should be a necessity in our life, or at least a piece of decor we find beautiful and enhances a room, or keepsakes we value and put on display.
A minimalist doesn’t like much around, so they typically have minimal stuff. Not that I’m a minimalist – I’m not! But, I streamline what I do have, and keep around only what I need, or what I find beautiful to look at. And, that’s how I judge whether or not something stays, or something goes.
Photo from Tree.com
Therefore, in simple bullets, this is my suggestion about deciding if something should be thrown away:
- Has it had much use to you, and have you used it? If not, kiss it good-bye.
- Is it something that’s very important to keep, even though you won’t need to access it? If so, put it in storage.
- Does it have a lot of value to you? If so, make sure it is displayed prominently to show its value. Storage isn’t a place for that stuff.
- Do you absolutely LOVE it and enjoy looking at it? Than keep it.
I’ve seen lists like these miles long in other articles, but I think these are enough to keep it simple and get you to make a decision.
So now, let’s look at some typical examples of keeping certain things.
Books & Magazines
Photo from Vogue
A lot of people keep lots of books and think they want them all. Yet, in going through all those books, most likely only 45% of them will be decided as a keeper, maybe less. The guideline (or “rule”) on books is, only keep what will FIT ON THE SPACE ALLOCATED FOR THEM. If you really must keep more than you have space for on the bookshelf or wherever, than you’ll just have to purchase another shelf unit or something. But don’t keep them boxed up in storage or sitting around on floor space!
With magazines, it’s the same principle – only keep what you can fit in a space allocated for them. Magazine “piles” and “stacks” are clutter, so find a home for these. The guideline for magazines is to keep current issues and discard old ones. However, I know there are different reasons to keep old issues; just make a “home” for them (in a magazine holder or something).
Clothing & Accessories
Oh boy, this can be tough. But again, only try to keep what you have space for in the closet. Of course, you can always try a better closet system, or purchase an additional wardrobe closet furniture piece, or another dresser. However, don’t keep what you can’t fit in a space – and that space can’t be over doorways or on the floor or on furniture!
The same applies to shoes!
Dishware
Do we really need more than two sets of dinnerware – one for everyday use and one for entertaining? Again, what do you have space for to hold all your plate sets? If they are in storage and you don’t have enough cabinet space for them, say good-bye.
Cookware
Photo from Real Simple
Okay, how many pots and pans do you really need to cook with? Consider the guideline above about only keeping what your space can hold, or make a space for them. The other rule, as above, is don’t store them away in storage where they don’t get used!
Linens
Unless you have lots of beds that need a set of linens, why keep more sets than you actually need (like 2 sets)? Consider picking out your favorite sheet sets, and kiss the others good-bye.
The same for towel sets – keep your favorite sets for each bathroom and kiss the others good-bye!
And then there’s blankets. How many “extra” blankets do you REALLY need? I used to think I needed all of mine until I went through them to find what I could donate to people who suffered a natural disaster. I found that I could donate most of them without missing any!
Well, there you have it. I think you get the idea – only keep what you have space for. If you have household items in storage, say “Nice knowing ya”, and kiss them good-bye!
Cyndi Seidler is an author and Professional Lifestylist who has combined her diversified knowledge and skills in business management, home and office organization, marketing and PR, and digital media to help individuals style every aspect of their life
More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook - LinkedIn - Google Plus - YouTube
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Tags: decluttering
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Kiss Stuff Good-bye, It’s Been Nice Knowing Ya
By the title, you must have figured out that I’m talking about letting go of stuff. See, a Twitterer who was underway on a de-cluttering project said to me today, “@CyndiSeidler It’s so hard to throw things away!” I replied back, “Just think about having less stuff to deal with. It’s a mindset! Kiss stuff goodbye!” And that’s what prompted me to write this article.
Truth is, the more we have, the more we have to deal with. If we have a dozen towel sets, we have to deal with space to put them. If we have a lot of furnishings in a room, the more we have to clean. If we have lots of keepsakes we have a hard time parting with, we have to deal with what to do with them so they still hold value to us. And so on.
Photo from MoreDesignPlease.com
The way I see it, stuff has to be something we can’t live without. It should be a necessity in our life, or at least a piece of decor we find beautiful and enhances a room, or keepsakes we value and put on display.
A minimalist doesn’t like much around, so they typically have minimal stuff. Not that I’m a minimalist – I’m not! But, I streamline what I do have, and keep around only what I need, or what I find beautiful to look at. And, that’s how I judge whether or not something stays, or something goes.
Photo from Tree.com
Therefore, in simple bullets, this is my suggestion about deciding if something should be thrown away:
I’ve seen lists like these miles long in other articles, but I think these are enough to keep it simple and get you to make a decision.
So now, let’s look at some typical examples of keeping certain things.
Books & Magazines
Photo from Vogue
A lot of people keep lots of books and think they want them all. Yet, in going through all those books, most likely only 45% of them will be decided as a keeper, maybe less. The guideline (or “rule”) on books is, only keep what will FIT ON THE SPACE ALLOCATED FOR THEM. If you really must keep more than you have space for on the bookshelf or wherever, than you’ll just have to purchase another shelf unit or something. But don’t keep them boxed up in storage or sitting around on floor space!
With magazines, it’s the same principle – only keep what you can fit in a space allocated for them. Magazine “piles” and “stacks” are clutter, so find a home for these. The guideline for magazines is to keep current issues and discard old ones. However, I know there are different reasons to keep old issues; just make a “home” for them (in a magazine holder or something).
Clothing & Accessories
Oh boy, this can be tough. But again, only try to keep what you have space for in the closet. Of course, you can always try a better closet system, or purchase an additional wardrobe closet furniture piece, or another dresser. However, don’t keep what you can’t fit in a space – and that space can’t be over doorways or on the floor or on furniture!
The same applies to shoes!
Dishware
Do we really need more than two sets of dinnerware – one for everyday use and one for entertaining? Again, what do you have space for to hold all your plate sets? If they are in storage and you don’t have enough cabinet space for them, say good-bye.
Cookware
Photo from Real Simple
Okay, how many pots and pans do you really need to cook with? Consider the guideline above about only keeping what your space can hold, or make a space for them. The other rule, as above, is don’t store them away in storage where they don’t get used!
Linens
Unless you have lots of beds that need a set of linens, why keep more sets than you actually need (like 2 sets)? Consider picking out your favorite sheet sets, and kiss the others good-bye.
The same for towel sets – keep your favorite sets for each bathroom and kiss the others good-bye!
And then there’s blankets. How many “extra” blankets do you REALLY need? I used to think I needed all of mine until I went through them to find what I could donate to people who suffered a natural disaster. I found that I could donate most of them without missing any!
Well, there you have it. I think you get the idea – only keep what you have space for. If you have household items in storage, say “Nice knowing ya”, and kiss them good-bye!
Cyndi Seidler
Cyndi Seidler is an author and Professional Lifestylist who has combined her diversified knowledge and skills in business management, home and office organization, marketing and PR, and digital media to help individuals style every aspect of their life
More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook - LinkedIn - Google Plus - YouTube
Related Posts:
Tags: decluttering