4067: How to Declutter Your Life (The Very Best Place To Start) by Courtney Carver of Be More With Less

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[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_01] It's a Minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily. How to declutter your life, the very best place to start by Courtney Carver of BeMoreWithLess.com and I'm Justin Malik, your narrator. I'll keep this intro nice and minimal for Minimalist Monday, so let's get right to it and continue optimizing your life. How to declutter your life, the very best place to start by Courtney Carver of BeMoreWithLess.com.

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_01] The most popular question about decluttering or simplifying is, what's the best way to start? The next most popular question is, how long will it take? These are the questions we want answers to about everything we do, especially when starting something new. What's the best way to declutter my life? Clean out my closet? Pay off my debt? Quit my job? Travel lightly? Feel healthier? And what do we want to know right after that? How long will it take?

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_01] One thing I've noticed though, both getting asked these questions and asking them one million times myself, is we don't really want to know how to or how long. We want to know how to get through this with the least amount of pain and struggle as possible. I get it. There's enough pain and struggle out there. We should be able to declutter a junk drawer, pay off our debt, and find a good place to donate our stuff without completely depleting ourselves. And there is a way. So many ways. Some will work for you and some will not work for you. Not even a little bit.

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_01] The best way is the way that works best for you. Because we each learn differently, approach change in our own way, and have unique methods to our madness, we have to find what works best for us when it comes to finding the best way to start anything. Following are 10 ways to declutter your life. One may sound like the best way for you. If so, start there. One of them may sound like almost the best way. If so, adjust it and start there. They might all sound terrible.

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_01] If they do, read my post titled, I Don't Know What's Best For You. 10 ways to declutter your life. Find your best way. Number one, create a minimalist sanctuary or a slow space. Choose a corner in your home, a countertop in the kitchen, or the table beside your bed if you have one. Clear the clutter from that one small area and only keep things that make you calm and happy in that space. That might mean you include a candle or a book or nothing at all.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_01] Perhaps the space itself makes you calm and happy. Use the space you create as inspiration and momentum for the next slow space. Number two, declutter your morning. When you become more intentional about how you start your day, things begin to shift on the inside and the outside. You'll feel less scattered and more focused all day long when you give yourself time first. It's a good first step in decluttering your life. Number three, discard the duplicates.

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_01] Why not make the start of decluttering your life something super simple and easy? Grab a box and fill it with duplicate items that you don't need or use. Measuring cups, coffee cups, picture frames, faces, decorative items, extra clothing, and other things that don't really serve a purpose, but you have just in case. If you are up to it, donate the box immediately. If not, hide the box for 60 days. If you can't remember what's in the box and you don't miss the stuff, let it go.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_01] Number four, try a decluttering burst. Let go of 100 things in an hour. Number five, unplug. Information isn't bad, but too much becomes clutter instead of the inspiration, education, or entertainment it's meant to be. Instead, the constant stream of information just turns into noise. Delete apps from your phone that you only use to fill space and time and give your life room for boredom, curiosity, and quiet.

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_01] Declare certain areas of your home and life off-limits when it comes to consuming information, like your car or bedroom or another space that deserves to be distraction-free. Once you limit the amount of information and streamline when and where it's coming from, schedule blocks of information-free time. A few hours a day and a full day a week to unplug gives your mind a chance to recover and reset. Number six, write a breakup letter to your stuff.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_01] You can't write this letter wrong, but if you like some guidelines, you can read my article about it. Number seven, delay. Delay. Timing is everything, especially when it comes to an impulse purchase. Delay your next purchase for 30 days and see if you are still as passionate about the purchase as you were initially. Stop the inflow. Number eight, take a victory lap. My friend Sarah has a beautiful strategy for letting go of meaningful items. She says, quote,

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_01] I give each item one last intentional, loving use. I wear my grandmother's dress to Thanksgiving dinner and my aunt's ooh and ah over it. I ask my mom for her favorite cheese fondue recipe and then I invite friends over for a party in honor of melted cheese. I take my scarf on a tour of the art museum and out into the crisp fall air. Then I mentally thank that item for the role it played in my life, remind myself that an object is not a relationship, and tuck it lovingly into the ever-present goodwill donation bag in my front closet.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_01] It's a bit woo-woo, but I find it's a sweet way to honor the people who gave me these things while also honoring my own desire for a simpler, more pared-down life, end quote. Number nine, take me to your closet. I'm ready when you are, so grab your computer, phone, or whatever device you happen to be hearing this article on and take me to your closet. And number ten, ask for help. Sometimes we are so attached to our stuff that it's hard to know when to hold on and when to let go.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_01] Ask a friend or family member to help you. Let this person vote yes or no on clothing, decorative pieces, and other items. Even better, swap services and agree to go to your friend's home next to reciprocate. Bring snacks and good music. I don't know which way will be best for you, and the only way to find out is to be open and curious and get started. Even if you don't pick the very best way at first, you'll make progress and you will learn something about yourself.

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_01] You'll know when you've found the best way because you'll make progress with less struggle and more ease, less pain, and more relief. And to answer your second question, I don't know how long it will take either. It might take days or months or years, but it will be worth it. You just listened to the post titled, How to Declutter Your Life, The Very Best Place to Start, by Courtney Carver of BeMoreWithLess.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_01] Thank you to Courtney. There's a good point right at the start. She said that when we ask, what's the best way to start something, we're really asking how to get through it with the least amount of pain and struggle. And I think that's probably true for a lot of things, not just decluttering. We're not always looking for the best method. We're looking for the path of least resistance. The victory lap idea from her friend Sarah was a good suggestion.

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_01] The idea of giving a sentimental item one last intentional use before letting it go. Wearing your grandmother's dress to Thanksgiving dinner, using the old fondue pot for a party. She admits it's a little woo-woo, as they say. But I think it makes sense. A lot of the reason we can't let things go is that it feels like we're erasing the memory or the relationship tied to them. And the victory lap kind of separates those two things, the object from the meaning,

[00:10:18] [SPEAKER_01] which is probably the main part of letting go. But in either case, definitely worth picking one of her 10 ideas and just starting. So get that start today. Have a wonderful rest of your day and start your week. And I'll see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits. Let's see you tomorrow.