For the month of September I played a Decluttering Game that I first heard about from the Minimalists Podcast. The concept is simple: on the 1st day of the month get rid of 1 item, the 2nd day get rid of 2, the 3rd day get rid of 3 items, and so on all the way until you get rid of 30 things on the last day of the month. All in all, for a 30 day month like September, this adds up to 465 total individual items!
A month was the perfect length of time for me for this mission, and breaking the 465 items down into small daily goals was less overwhelming than trying to tackle my whole house in a weekend. I also got my husband, brother, and sister-in-law involved, and we would text daily pictures of our items for accountability which is hugely helpful for me.
I purged soooooo many books, toys, papers, clothing, shoes, broken treasures, and literal trash that collects after living in the same home for 9 years. I also used a few of the days to get rid of things that had accumulated in my office after nearly 4 years here!
The most shocking thing to me is that even after this month of purging, our home still looks pretty full. We’re nowhere near stark Scandinavian minimalist vibes, even with over 500 items leaving our home over a month. Book shelves look full without being overstuffed, I can look through my still pretty full drawer of t-shirts and know that the torn, worn, or ill-fitting ones are gone, and more surfaces are clear of piles of papers and doodads. My kids have not asked for any of the random plastic crap from goody bags that are gone, I don’t think they have even noticed the change. Truthfully, most of us just have WAY too much stuff. With kids in our lives, this increases tenfold. And this stuff and clutter most certainly can impact our mood and energy.
For me, as for many people, a more organized and clutter free space helps me feel calmer and more relaxed in my home, makes it easier to find things, and also makes the job of tidying up and maintaining the order much easier. As Gretchen Rubin says, “outer order, inner calm.” It also just looks and feels nicer!
This is exactly the energy I was going for this September, and now I intend to do this month long decluttering exercise every September. Because by then, I’ll surely have another 465 things to say good-bye too.
Warmly,
Dr. Lizzie
P.S.
Oct 1st marks my business turning 14 years old! Wow.
I am humbled and honored by your support these past 14 years, whether you just visited me for the first time or have been coming regularly for over a decade, thank you!
Thank you for trusting me with your care, for sharing your joys and sorrows with me, for telling your friends and family about me, and for making my practice what it is.
I literally could not do it without each and every one of you.