Best laid plans....

So today I was going to do a blog to let you know a bit more about me, and how my journey into the world of decluttering came about. Unfortunately I have had another topic to discuss instead which presented itself today. Last night my daughter kept me up all night with a sick bug (she’s fine now). This meant me having to do an 11 hour shift in my other business on zero hours sleep…. Interesting to say the least! However it got me thinking as to just how much decluttering has changed things for me. I’ve decluttered not just ‘stuff’ but also unhelpful thought processes too. I use many different methods for supporting someone declutter, but one of the methods I part-use is Marie Kondo’s ‘Spark Joy’ theory – so you only keep what sparks joy for you. This method makes you realise what is important to you. This can also help declutter your life and diary, not just the clutter in your home.

Guilt from others

One reason people keep things is from a sense of guilt on how others will feel if they get rid of something. By decluttering items maybe once gifted to you that you no longer love you’re fine tuning your thought process to think ‘actually its ok to get rid of this now, it doesn’t serve its purpose for me anymore, I don’t need to feel guilt for letting it go’. As you practice this with material items, it then becomes easier to do it with other areas of your life. So for me today I was able to do some self care. I cancelled some commitments as I knew keeping them would lead to me being exhausted and burn out. I needed time to catch up on myself and my sleep too! In the past I’ve felt a sense of guilt and ‘mustn’t let others down’ even to the detriment of my own health. Now I can put myself first, and you know what? No one felt like I’d let them down. They all understood my reasoning! So I now no longer feel the burden of commitments that would’ve caused me stress.

Life’s too short

Another bonus of decluttering is that you learn more about yourself and what truly makes you happy, not just in things but in life in general. So you might find you no longer commit to things you didn’t really want to do. How often have you found yourself doing something because you felt you had to? Started something with enjoyment that then became a chore and was no longer enjoyable but you kept on with it regardless? When your house is in order you will find that many other things fall in to place for you, and I certainly found I got braver to say ‘no’, and now only commit to things that positively impact on my life. I no longer feel obligated to do things. It is freeing!

My decluttering business is something I’m passionate about and truly love, so I’m very lucky in that respect. We only get one shot at this life, so we need to make the most of it. Declutter what no longer makes you happy, and fill your home and your life with only things that bring you joy. If you’re ready to make a start on this new life, just message me for your initial consultation and we can make a start on decluttering your things, but I guarantee you will free yourself of so much more.