The power of purging your clutter

I come from a long line of cleaner-outters; we were purging long before Marie Kondo hit the scene and the sport fell into vogue. I’ll never be a minimalist, but I don’t believe in keeping for the sake of “someday I might need it” or “but it belonged to so-and-so, therefore I can never part with it.” 

Nah, girl. Marie was right: if it doesn’t bring you joy or have a function, let it go. 

Remember Rachel Hollis’ book, Girl, Wash Your Face? Well, I should write one called, Girl, Clean Out Your Closet. Her book was about the therapeutic nature of small rituals, but more broadly, the power you don’t realize you have. 

This might sound silly. This is going to sound silly. This is not silly. 

Nothing feels more empowering than taking control of your space. 

When I have a bad day at work, it’s easier to collapse into the sofa and retreat into trashy television than to do anything else. Numb it. Escape from it for a little while. And I think that has merit, but limit yourself in that retreat. Live there for a little while, and then take action. Find a drawer in your kitchen or the freezer or even something as small as a pile of mail and conquer it. 

Conquering doesn’t mean rearranging it or moving it or straightening it up. Conquering means going through each thing, deciding if you need the thing, and dividing it into keep/toss piles. If your toss pile isn’t at least one-third of your keep pile, you’re purging wrong. 

Girl, let it go.

I think a lot of people in crises take up a distraction in the form of something new. “Today, I will try cooking, or crafting, or needlepoint, or gardening, or dancing.” All of those things are great goals. I encourage you to give them a whirl! But what those things can’t do is provide instant gratification. All of those things take practice and dedication and repetition. And that’s a good thing! 

“But they aren’t immediately empowering — organization is.  It is immediately uplifting. It is immediately endorphin inducing. ”

I also love that it requires nothing new. Sure, you can buy fancy things like drawer organizers, but it isn’t necessary. You don’t have to buy special shoes or equipment or gear. Grab a pair of scissors, a trash bag or two, and get started. 

I recommend starting with something small. Tackle your shower products and say goodbye to the two drops of sugar scrub you once loved. Dive into your jewelry box and bid farewell to those bubble necklaces from 2013. Let go of the six inches of wrapping paper that will never be enough to cover anything. 

Girl, really just LET IT GO. 

Donate furniture that’s cluttering up the space. Chuck old lampshades and shoes that hurt and candles that are suffocatingly sweet. 

Do it when you’re mad. Do it when you feel helpless. Do it when you’re bored. 

Getting rid of what you don't need helps you declutter your home, but that mentality can carry over into other aspects of your life; it may inspire you to declutter your inbox, your car, or your desk at work.

Never underestimate the power of purging your clutter.