Successful Decluttering — Allow Yourself To Let Go of These 4 Things

“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” Marie Kondo

When you’re decluttering, indecision can strike at any moment, as you discover:

• a doll that your grown-up daughter used to love playing with
• a holiday souvenir that’s been kept at the back of a cupboard
• a broken clock that belonged to your late father
• a beautifully bound hardback book given to you by a dear friend.

Many thoughts and emotions come to the surface as you hold things like these in your hands. Your normal thought processes seem to be overwhelmed, and you stand rooted to the stop, paralyzed with indecision.

When indecision strikes, see if the item in question falls into one of these four categories and see if you can allow yourself to let go of it without feeling any guilt.

1. Gifts

I’ve always felt guilty about letting go of gifts.

Even when I had never used the gift. Even when I didn’t particularly like the gift. Even if I’d enjoyed the gift in the past but knew I’d never pick it up again, such as a book that I’d read.

Recently, however, several books about decluttering have given me permission to let go of gifts I no longer need or love.

I’ve learned it’s OK to let go of gifts. It doesn’t mean you love the giver any less. It doesn’t mean you’re disrespecting them.

In fact, you’re respecting yourself by making more room in your life for the things that are important to you right now.

So, if you’re wondering whether it’s time to let go of a gift you don’t need or use, the chances are that it is time for it to find a new home without you feeling any guilt.

Why not donate it to a charity where it will be passed onto someone who will truly value it?

2. Equipment and Supplies for Hobbies, Interests and Sports

Did you use to love scrapbooking but lost interest after creating a couple of scrapbooks? Do you still have lots of blank scrapbooks, stickers and other scrapbooking supplies?

Do you hesitate to give them away because a) you spent a lot of money on them and/or b) you may find the time or the enthusiasm to do some more scrapbooking at some point in the future?

If the answer to all these questions about any hobby, interest or sport that you’re no longer interested in is yes, then give yourself permission to let go of all the equipment or supplies without any guilt.

We all go through phases in life when we’re passionately interested in something for a time and then lose interest. This may be because another interest becomes more important or a friend with whom we shared the interest moves away, for example.

We shouldn’t feel guilty about any of this because it is part of the flow of life. However, if we keep things relating to former interests, we’re hanging onto the past and not creating room for new experiences to come into our lives.

If you feel “stuck” at the moment, one reason may be that you’re holding onto things you’re no longer interested in.

So, dig out all those scrapbooking supplies and give them to someone who adores scrapbooking or to a community project that needs crafting supplies. You’ll feel good that your gift has helped others and you’ll free up space for new and interesting things in the next phase of your life.

3. Everything That’s Broken or Needs to be Repaired

How many times have you set aside broken things and said, “I’ll get that repaired!”? How many times have you actually fixed any of these things? If you’re like most people, the answer will be either “rarely” or “never”.

So, whenever you come across anything broken, throw it away immediately or give it to someone who will be able to fix it — and will want to fix it quickly. There’s no point in adding it to someone else’s clutter.

If you really do intend to have something, such as an appliance, repaired, make the phone call now and arrange for it to be fixed. Don’t just set it aside as another thing on your never-ending to-do list.

4. Limit Sentimental Possessions

Are you tempted to keep all your children’s baby clothes or toys? Or perhaps the antique furniture that you’ve inherited doesn’t fit in with your modern home.

It’s OK to let go of some sentimental items. You simply don’t have the space to keep everything!

The answer is to limit what you keep. Find a small storage box and fill it with your children’s most adorable baby outfits. Donate the rest to charity or sell it online.

Keep just one small piece of antique furniture as a memento of the past and sell the rest.

Final Words

Decluttering can be difficult, and you can stop dead in your tracks when you see something you used to love but no longer do. All kinds of emotions come into play. You may keep that thing just because you know you’d feel guilty if you got rid of it. But, will it really enhance your life or will it just continue to lie forgotten in a cupboard?

Decluttering allows you to create space in your life for new things: a new job or career direction, new hobbies or interests, or new people in your life. Getting rid of as many unnecessary items as possible will create the space you need in your home and your life.

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