New Years Purging and Decluttering

Every year I have such difficulty choosing my New Years Resolutions, and every year I fail keeping most of them. Except for that successful year I decided to give up buying stationary. However, with these year I decided to take a little more time to think over my resolutions. It was during a deep season of thought (oh, okay and eating chocolate!) that I decided that one of my resolutions was to sort out my possessions. The amount of times I've opened drawers and been baffled at the contents was starting to reaching spectacular numbers!

In the last 6 months, I moved in with my partner into a spare room he and his housemate had. So whilst most of my day to day possessions live in his room, the rest of my packed up belongings are still boxed in the next room. We realised that it was pointless for these things to sit and get musty in the boxes so everything had to be moved over. My partner moaned about "how much stuff I had", I told him that I actually didn't, not really. Most of my possessions are books and comics.

Over the past few months, I've periodically checked my boxes to root out various pieces of jewellery, shoes, clothes and the like. As I searched through the boxes, it occurred to me that a lot of my "stuff" was just being relocated without being appreciated. Perhaps that's just a by-product of growing up, or of leaving university. It could also be from travelling alone for 6 months. It's hard to be attached to things when you're living from a huge rucksack that you have to carry!

So I decided to sort all these possessions out. New Years came and I was empowered. I was going to sort my stuff out! And then...I got sidetracked for a few days with work and seeing friends, BUT THEN I finally made my way to The Bedroom!

Does everyone get this feeling? That once you look at that clutter and mess, suddenly - you remember that load of laundry to do, that email you have to send, oh isn't it nap time? Every other activity looks so much appealing. This is what I call THE WALL. Many, many times I have been defeated by THE WALL and wandered away to do anything else. Like the Boy Scouts you must be prepared .

Procrastination is your biggest enemy during this period. Once you get into the rhythm of clearing things out, then it really does become easier. One secret thing I've noticed is a hidden procrastination ! This is an activity that you think is helping your decluttering but is actually hindering the process. I am wholly guilty of it myself! An example of such an activity is buying organisational supplies; new paper trays to remind me to sort my bills, a bookcase to display all my books, a scrapbook for all those memorable little pieces of paper I just can't throw away.

Whilst these are useful items, I tend to spend more time away from the actual task! And the new stuff can add to the clutter! It never ends!

Deep breaths though folks, we can do this . I was a serial Supplies Buyer but I've drastically slowed down on these purchases! The trick is to promise yourself a reward AFTER decluttering the room.

One tip I have, before starting, is to brace myself mentally. My fortification goes like this:

• I make myself a cup of tea
• Gather up my equipment (2 boxes: "Sell" and "Give Away" and a black bin bag.)
  
• Set up my laptop and speakers in the room that needs decluttering
• Create a playlist of music. (Don't spend 3 hours making the playlist though!)
• Listen to ONE song amongst the clutter.

Okay! The next tip is not to panic or start knocking yourself. If I sit for too long, I find myself getting attached at the thought of these possessions, rather than the actuality of the items. So I tend to start sorting fast!

Give yourself a space to organise your possessions. When purging my room, I decided on using the bed as the room is small and had minimal floor space. The space you choose will be your work-base for the decluttering bonanza! So get yourself comfortable :)

The next important thing is to not try and declutter too much once. The appeal is to empty everything out and work through it but this will just overwhelm you. The sight of everything piled up without rhyme or reason is actually very disheartening and will make you stop the cleaning. Plus if you stop for any particular reason and leave it, you will less likely to work through a mound of undefinable "stuff", rather than a scattering of objects on your workbase. Instead, just empty a box or a drawer at a time and work through it that way.

Keeping the decluttering into manageable chunks means that the clean will go must faster than you think. I was amazed on the first day when I paused for a break and discovered 3 hours had passed!

You may also find that there are items you uncover that just don't belong in the room. If you just keep them in a pile to the side, with a post-it note saying "Move", then you can return them to the right rooms after you've got a considerable amount done. I never leave these bits to last as I'm normally tired and liable to just "leave them for tomorrow".

Just have a little patience when doing it. Slow and steady wins the race!

Ah, the doubt sets in!

The worst part about decluttering is sorting through the possessions that still have a semblance of meaning to you. You're doing really well - the boxes are filling nicely and you've found lots to sell or give to charity. Except you've pulled out something - a Christmas present from your mum, a gift from an old boyfriend, a birthday present from someone who you used to know. It stops you in your tracks. You can't decide what to do with it. Do you throw it away? Do you keep it because of the memories? Do you sell it?

Some people find it easier than others to decide what to do with these sentimental objects. But there will always be one or two that stop us.

I find it best to ask yourself some questions about these things:

• Have you been displaying this item or is it cluttered together with other things you never know "where to put"?
• Have you honestly used this item in the past 6 months or do you look at it and think "oh I know I'll use it"?
• If it's a gift from someone, do you genuinely enjoy the gift?
• Can you see someone else being made happier by this item than you?
• If you had to move quickly, would this be an item you would definitely pack?

If you've answered "no" to most of these questions, then they go into a Sell/Give Away box. If you're really sentimental about the item, then take a picture of it. That way you can remember it without it cluttering your house!

You do need to be a little bit ruthless, and it can be hard. I've found myself being choked up or at a loss when I sorted through jewellery in particular. Presents from my granny who passed away six months ago, friends who have passed away or old boyfriends. You just need to remember why you're doing this. I was sentimental and was stopping my declutter and then I realised that it was only looking at these things that made me so. I had forgotten I owned them before I saw them.

If you really don't think you can make the decision on your own, then get a close friend around. They can be your "devil's advocate" and help you make the decisions.

Once the room is sorted, move on to the next area you want to declutter. Again, take it step by step and before you know it, you'll be onto the next room! Once all that is done, then you take the finishing steps:

• Take the "Give Away" boxes and bring them up to your local Gift-Aid/charity shop etc
• Throw out all the garbage you've accumulated.
• Inform your friends and relatives of the items you want to sell. Give them first pick for about 3 days and then start listing the sold items on Ebay/Livejournal/Facebook/Craigslist etc
• The trick with the sold items is not to fall into old traps. Give the items maybe a week or two weeks to sell and if they haven't sold, then give them away. That way you won't be inclined to let them be reintegrated into your home again :)

Good luck and happy purging! :)