I would consider myself a bit of a minimalist. There have been many days where I’m sitting in my place and I look over at something. The side table. The TV. A decorative item. An article of clothing. And I think, “Do I even need you?”. My tendency is to want to get rid of most things I own. Unless, of course, it’s outdoor gear. I may be prone to ordering and keeping lots of outdoor gear.
Last week, unbeknownst to me, some of my friends were in the infancy of creating a group devoted to decluttering. The idea was that by decluttering from now until the new year, we could start the new year fresh instead of making this task a ‘resolution’. I listened to the idea and thought it was brilliant! So I became part of the group and soon The Decluttering Divas were formed. I may or may not have had something to do with the name.
In our possession is a list of 28 decluttering tasks. I’m not sure where this list came from or I would source it, but the first two items are as follows:
1. Declutter Clothes: If you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it. If you don’t love it, toss it. Do you really need that many t-shirts?
2. Declutter Papers: Grab your files and get to work. Sort out anything you don’t need anymore. If you are keeping it for memory’s sake, maybe a quick digital picture is enough to preserve it? Great targets: old magazines, instruction manuals for devices (most can be found on the internet), pamphlets you will never read, etc.
Even though I own so little clothing, I have been able to identify many items to give away. And in terms of decluttering papers, I’ve been quite good at keeping those to a minimum, though I did find something that really had me scratching my head. My 2010 Beyoncé calendar. Gasp, what to do! I immediately texted two of the other Decluttering Divas. One suggested I keep it in my office for posterity. Or use it for wrapping paper. The other suggested, rightfully so, that I should toss it. Sigh. I did take a digital picture for memory’s sake.
By getting rid of this Beyoncé calendar, I have truly lived up to the Decluttering Divas name. Nevertheless, it’s a sad day.
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 