When you de-clutter what exactly are you making room for in your life? Why are you de-cluttering in the first place? Of course it is nice to have more space and have things organized. This makes day to day living a lot easier and calming. But the funny thing is that when you get rid of your stuff, when the burden of all of that clutter is gone, you may find that it leaves a space to be filled. This is not space in the physical sense necessarily, but more of a space to fulfill your goals and dreams.
Our stuff is comforting and familiar. But is also forces us to focus on the stuff and not on our goals and dreams. In a sense, too much stuff could be an excuse to move forward. And when that stuff is gone, we worry that there will be an empty space that can’t be filled.
The good news, is that while de-cluttering, you can start to identify your goals and dreams for yourself and your home. It can be something as obvious as having a finished basement or as out there as quitting your job and starting a career as an actor or artist.
Once you have your goals in mind, go through your stuff and see if it fits in with your goals. Sometimes the stuff itself helps define what it is that you really want. For example, I came across some crafting items that I thought I would love to do. I realized that I would really rather spend more time playing chess with my son for my goal of spending more time with him alone or taking walks for my goal of being fit, instead of doing these particular crafts in my leisure time. The craft supplies were doing nothing but making me feel guilty, one way or another.
Sometimes there will be some compromises to make. Let’s say that one of your goals is to have a library in your home. You picture a room that has built in bookshelves and wonderful seating. Unfortunately, your budget does not fit in with your vision, so you have to make do with some older bookcases. You can still display them in a way that is in line with your goal and respectful to it, such as painting them and de-cluttering them so that they aren’t overflowing with books you’ll never want to read.
What are your goals and dreams?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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De-Cluttering Boot Camp: I Can’t Get Rid of that! 2
De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Being Overwhelmed
De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Finding Time
Welcome to De-Cluttering Boot Camp
De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Roadblocks
4 Ways Clutter Can Cost You Money
De-cluttering with Young Children