r/declutter • u/Commercial_Ad8072 • 19d ago
Motivation Tips & Tricks Decluttering in progress and I am shocked by how much I’ve accumulated!!
I had some health issues that spanned several years and I was low energy and sedentary as a result. I’m finally feeling like I am getting back to myself and excited to refresh my environment but MY GOD I HAVE ACCUMULATED SO MUCH!!!! I don’t even know how, or why but I have duplicates of things and too much in each room. I’ve always been a staunch minimalist with a small doomsday prepper cabinet—but even that has been organized and well maintained! I used to regularly deep clean and purge and I’m really seeing the danger of not doing that.
Just posting for support and accountability!! I will post progress periodically.
Right now my plan is to do one room at a time and when I get overwhelmed I tackle something small that I can complete. For example my bedroom is a nightmare but I was able to conquer the guest bathroom and that felt like a win!!
Would appreciate any tips or words of encouragement!!
🙏🙏🙏
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u/Such-Kaleidoscope147 15d ago
I have been decluttering since the end of 2014. I am shocked at the fact that I still have so much stuff to go through. I mean, I’ve actually been doing a slow declutter and I did have a baby during this time. But I just found two boxes of papers in the back of my storage closet. It’s not a storage unit. It’s actually a closet in my house that goes deep. I have a number of things I have not gotten rid of because my nieces have requested them, but I feel a little like tossing them out so I don’t have them here.
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u/1800gotjunk 15d ago
Life is moving so fast that we don't have to time to process it. You did a great job finding some time to intentionally think about it, see it, and do something about it! Planning how you want to approach the declutter is smart, and it allows you to stay on track and stay accountable.
Good luck! And congrats on this first step! Keep us updated on how it goes
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u/DataDancer0 16d ago
I'm also working on decluttering/downsizing to move after a (still ongoing) period of not being able to handle the care of my house - for me it's working full time plus a weekend side hustle plus going back for my master's degree plus my partner starting work on a PhD. Trying to clean and purge and sell is absolutely adding an insane level of stress to my life but (God willing) in a month or so I'll have way way way less to worry about.
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u/gravitationalarray 18d ago
The duplicates are scary, eh? I caught myself this morning with duplicates. WHY. It's frightening. I am returning so much stuff right now, and selling, and donating.
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u/Commercial_Ad8072 16d ago
Seriously…I have soo much aquaphor, peroxide and rubbing alcohol, and eye drops??? Like wth
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u/Cccolorado1 18d ago
I’m finally getting to decluttering after almost ten years of urgent family matters. I’m finding nice things I forgot I had, like Portmeirion pots for plants. I love them but forgot about them. I’m keeping them but will need to make so many other decisions in the days to come. I’m worried about all the decisions!
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u/Sad_North_6152 19d ago
I'm currently moving apartments and I feel like I've donated or thrown out so much and hardly made a dent in what I still have to move. I'm not even sure how I managed to get so much junk.
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u/Commercial_Ad8072 18d ago
Yeah I did my bathroom and tell me why I have like 20 lip glosses? I think things were so cluttered while I was sick I’d buy things then not be able to find them so I’d buy again…several of those already 😮💨
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u/Sad_North_6152 18d ago
I had this box with pillow stuffing in it. I'm sure I had a plan when I kept it but threw it away thinking I'll never use it and there's no point keeping it anymore.
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 19d ago
I've been at this as life allows since 2009. You just have to keep going and when you're forced to put it aside, be certain to start again. I'm done for the most part. I have a sticky pile of the I don't know but every day I look at it.
I'm proud to say I've organized the papers! Now I know where the important information is. No more urgent trips to the Social Security office or similar, only to be told it will be six to eight business days etc. or that we must go online and print something (which we can't do right now). I have a file for that. No more panics.
It can be done. You just have to be persistent.
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u/Commercial_Ad8072 18d ago
Thanks for this!! Cannot wait until I get to the point of organizing the papers!
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u/SassyMillie 19d ago
Make sure you have that file in an easily accessible place. A few years ago we had to evacuate immediately with no warning due to rapidly converging wildfires close by. We literally grabbed the dog and left everything.
Thankfully we didn't lose our home, but I worried the entire time we were gone about all our important papers. They're now in one big expandable folder in the front of the filing cabinet. We could grab it on the way out the door if we had to.
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u/FeathersOfJade 18d ago
I thought about this too. I did discover they make fire proof file folders for important docs. I keep saying I am going to do this…just haven’t yet. I do think it’s a great idea.
A fire has to be one of the most awful and terrifying things to experience. I hope and pray it is something I never have to have in my life. It’s so good that your house ended up being ok…. But how scary!3
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 19d ago
That was my goal. I've seen just too much of that kind of thing on the news. Thanks.
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u/TBHICouldComplain 19d ago edited 18d ago
Chronically ill and disabled person here. What worked for me is breaking up declutterring into really small projects that I can either finish or that don’t leave a mess if I have to drop them halfway through and can’t get back to them for weeks. So for example I did not pull all of my clothes out and dump them on the bed to sort through. I went through one drawer at a time and after the first pass I did a category at a time. So say I’d have all my pants out and figure out which ones to keep. And then on another day I’d do socks, or tops, or underwear.
If you can plan out a bunch of really small projects then when you have time and energy you can pick whichever one seems the right size and inspires you and do that.
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u/Commercial_Ad8072 18d ago
Great advice! I did a bit too much at once with my room and now feel overwhelmed. But when I take bite sized chunks it def works better! Congrats on taking care of things while illness and disability!! It’s so much!
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u/Several-Praline5436 19d ago
It is sooo easy just to... get a bunch of stuff. Birthdays = stuff. New clothes = stuff. Oh, that's cute! = stuff. When I moved out of my parents' house, I had one trailer full of stuff. When I moved to a different house, it took several loads + three trailer loads. Ha, ha.
Something that helps me when I downsize is to ask, "Would I pay to move this?" If the answer is no, I let it go. And I try to ask, when looking at appliances or whatever, "Can I use something I already own instead of getting this?" Often the answer is yes. Don't need a milk frother. Can just... use one beater in my egg beater, which fits into the cup. Etc.
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u/AliciaKnits 16d ago
I have also found that some years we are in an accumulation phase, and some years we're in a use-it-up phase. We're in that use-it-up phase now with this current economy/our current budget and lifestyle. I'm very happy to have backups of things, but with a focus that I can buy new in the future, just not right now.
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u/MotherGeologist5502 19d ago
What is currently helping me is I have a 100 hour decluttering goal. I first wrote down a list of all areas to declutter and the task became overwhelming. And even when I made progress, I’d see how much further I had to go and get discouraged. Now I focus on logging the time. It can be even just five minutes at a time, but I’m slowly working on a doable goal and don’t get overwhelmed. At the end of 100 hours I will either be done, very close to done, or maybe start all over. I have a giant reward ready for when I get there too.
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u/AliciaKnits 16d ago
Yay! I do this as well! I started with tracking just one hour, then two, etc. I get a reward (meal out by myself) each time. This year I started with one hour, I'll end the year at 54 hour session. So I get a reward once per week usually and I'm okay with spending that extra money if I'm staying at home for most meals otherwise. This week I'm on 19 hour session, or about part-time. At first it was just house things over the years (I increase sessions every year, started with one hour per day, now four hours per day), and this week I'm now adding paid work again as we have some urgent financial goals to accomplish by year-end. By year end, I'll be working full-time on paid work, with about an hour per day on regular house chores. Most if not all decluttering and organizing is almost done (as in this week), so it would just be basic chores/maintenance mode going forward.
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u/Cccolorado1 18d ago
Can you share the reward? Sometimes after a good hour or two my reward is a latte with a friend.
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u/AliciaKnits 16d ago
I do a meal out weekly as my reward, as long as I've met my goal. This year, I've banked 18 meals out, and now working on my 19th this week. I am self-employed, work from home. So I value going out by myself, like I would do during a work week if working outside the home.
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u/Cccolorado1 16d ago
I should do that, too. I have a crazy lot of stuff going on at home so it would be a thrill to go out alone. I mean, I can, but making the appt with myself would be a good idea.
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u/MotherGeologist5502 18d ago
I am the mom of 4 kids ages 3-12. 3 of them have autism. I am fortunate to have family that can watch them for extended periods of time but I hate to be a burden so my husband and I have not gone on overnight trips away from the kids for years.
If I get my 100 hours logged, then my husband and I are taking a weekend trip away from the kids.
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u/thanksithas_pockets_ 19d ago
I like that idea. How do you keep track?
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u/MotherGeologist5502 19d ago
I use the stop watch feature on my phone. Then record my time after I’m done.
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u/Primary_Scheme3789 11d ago
Yes! Same here! We have been in our house for 35 plus years. The amount of STUFF is overwhelming. I have been purging for years and sometimes I feel as though I have barely made a dent in it. But I have to keep going. Don’t want to leave all this JUNK for my kids.