Do you see that box above? That's one of several boxes I go through every time I declutter. In fact, I just decluttered it again the other day.
While I was doing so I had an epiphany of sorts. What if I got rid of the entire thing? I would never have to come back to it and try to find one or two more things to get rid of.
You see, the box is filled with good things...useful things....resources I might use someday. The problem is, I don't actually use them. I just seem to keep them in this box, and every once in a while try to declutter them.
So what if I got rid of this box (and others like it) all together?
It reminds me of what Joshua Becker once said..."don't just declutter, de-own."
Yes...I might need something from one of these boxes again someday, but it's all replaceable. I'm much rather have the freedom I will gain from not owning this stuff anymore.
It's time to live more lightly.
We decluttered a ton of stuff, and there has only been one thing that I ever needed again. When the time came I bought the items I needed, no big deal. It's worth getting rid of a ton of stuff even if you have to buy one or two things later.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a time or two that I went looking for something I had gotten rid of. But it's amazing how easy it is to be creative and do without. I read a great post on the Art of Simple this week about thinking of the local thrift store as your "pay as you go" storage unit...for a small fee you can get what you need temporarily. I like that!
DeleteDe-cluttering is tough. When we sold our house in Las Vegas and we tried our darnedest not to keep what we absolutely did not need. We have a small storage unit still but with photo albums and sentimental items. But I have to tell you once it was done it was so freeing. Its amazing what you can live without.
ReplyDeleteHugs~
When we got married my husband was the minimalist and I was the packrat. Now we've switched places. There is only so much I can do, but I've come a long way in what I think is necessary! I don't have a lot of decorative items and have gotten rid of most of my personal books. One step at a time!
DeleteI have a room full of stuff that I would love to de-clutter! But I know it all didn't get there overnight, so I just need to take some time each day to make a little progress on it. So did you throw the box away?
ReplyDeleteI have not actually thrown out the box...believe it or not, this particular box houses my Compassion advocacy stuff. There are a few things I really need to keep (like my tablecloth) because I do use them. But when it comes to presentations, I tend to do my own thing because I like to be creative.
DeleteAnd you are right about making time each day....try 5-15 minutes and see how much progress you make!