“Clear your environment so you can clear your mind and move forward.” That sums up my philosophy on organizing and decluttering.
There are no hard and fast rules as to how much you should keep or clear. The typical questions of “Do you need it? Love it? Use it?” are a good rules of thumb, especially if there is space for that item in your home.
But let’s explore why we hold on to some of those things we don’t need, love, or use. Are they keeping us from “moving forward”? What do they represent? A time when we were successful? A time when we were loved? A time when we were surrounded by family? If we don’t own those things anymore, does that change the fact that we were/are successful or loved or a part of a family?
Can we instead move forward while holding a mirror that allows us to see what is behind us, even as we walk into the future? I submit that walking with a mirror is a lot easier than walking while trying to hold all the items from the past. We need both, the past and the present. It makes us who we are. It’s okay to treasure the past, but don’t let holding on to the things in your past keep you from enjoying the gift that is the present.
What clutter is in your environment that is bogging down your mind and keeping you from moving forward?
“Oh! Old rubbish! Old letters, old clothes, old objects that one does not want to throw away. How well nature has understood that, every year, she must change her leaves, her flowers, her fruit and her vegetables, and make manure out of the mementoes of her year!” Jules Renard
Next week we’ll talk about finding your own minimalism line and a pro tip on how to start. You can do this!
Laura ~ your organizing girlfriend
Comments