If I lost my home today to an unfortunate accident, as long as my family got out, i wouldn't have a care in the world. Not because i know I have insurance, but because we live so simply there is nothing of value in our home. Memories cant be lost, items can be replaced. Decluttering changed out lives.
@@mikejensen4238 A safe for the momentos, gold and guns is a must have though. I found out long ago, there are no legal documents that can't be replaced. I don't even store tax returns or property titles. It's all filed online or at the county office. I don't even bother collecting annual tax documents anymore. It's all filed with the IRS as a transcript. My tax guy just goes online and reports on whatever has been filed to my ssn. Super simple, time saving, low cost.
We are not all twenty and able to sleep on the floor. While agreeing that excess is unhealthy, you need not take this to the extreme and propose the ridiculous as the sublime!
I livein my Van .....i dont have a normal " job" ....i just draw portraits and caricatures in the center of European city .....i have all that i need ...for me 8 hoursis a lot even if i do what i love .....5-6 hours are enough ....
my drawers/cupboards/closets are full of stuff and clutter..... maybe I use 3% of all my posessions. I am now unemployed, (so I have unlimited time) and I have started to sell and donate from all my stuff, but it's advancing quite slow. Any advice for me ?
I am doing this with my grandma who has 3 generations of stuff in her house. A lot of it cannot and will not get used. Ever. Come to grips with that first. Second, focus on clothing - and how to donate it. You won't get even a fraction of what you paid for it. Third, Books that you haven't read in years or those magazines you'll "get to" Fourth, kitchen items that you don't use - put on craigslist free section as "Curb alert : pickup" Fifth, this will all take time and you'll constantly feel you wasted so much money. however the mental weight that will Be relieved is truly priceless. Trying to nickel and dime or sell stuff will only make it take longer. give it to friends and family for free
I think I am now on my 3rd iteration. This might sound rather depressing to someone how's doing their first iteration, but knowing that your home doesn't have to be perfect at first try. I also started at some point just throwing stuff away in trash since things were moving too slowly.
I found writing down a few prompts for when for I naturally get stuck with a decision helps. So something like "Where should 'this' be? clears away some of the confusion and emotional energy. Likewise begin one small area or drawer at a time and dispose of the broken, out dated and worn out things. If you really need them make a note to repalce them when you can. Just collecting things of a similar type temporarily like bills, socks or DVD's in a box can help batch the latter decisions on what to do with them. Finally, even a simple thing like a pen or a book can throw me sometimes. Then I get out a notepad and literallyt describe what the thing is and its function and what it means to me or function I have it for. This often interrupts the stuckness. As someone else commented this isn't a one and done job but more of a shift in a paradigm. From "keep everything, just in case" to "how does this help, or hinder, my life"
It seems slow at the beginning, but as you get lighter, the momentum starts building. And slowly you start keeping only items that you love and need. It's a lifelong quest against stuff of this world. After purging the material stuff, life calls you to purge inner unnecessary stuff. Down the road, you get lighter and free-er. Later in life, you will thank yourself for making this effort now. Keep going.
