Try 50 Ways to Leave Your Clutter - But Don't Stop There

By
"There must be 50 ways to leave your clutter."  Isn't that how the song goes?  


Well, maybe not.  But it's true anyway.  There are at least 50 ways to declutter (you can start with these 10, and here are 10 more).


jump for joy and freedom



Minimalism is about more than decluttering.


Maybe the real question isn't how to declutter, but why.  Unlike 25 or so years ago, when I first started getting interested in minimalism, people know what you mean when you talk about "decluttering."  Everyone's doing it.  It's trendy, and there's a perfect storm of reasons for that.


Many people agree that decluttering brings peace and clarity, that living with less saves money and maybe the planet, and that streamlined spaces and electronics are just so cool-looking.


But decluttering is only the first step toward a minimalist life.


I know a lot of you come here for inspiration and ideas about decluttering, which is why I regularly write about it.  And that's great.  But decluttering just to get rid of stuff is pointless, especially if you're just going to go back out and buy new stuff.  I know, because I've been there, decluttering over and over because I just kept consuming.





Are you ready?


Let's say you've moved beyond that.  You're starting to challenge the materialistic messages of our culture:

  • What you own represents how successful you are.
  • Your busyness is an indication of your worth.
  • What you always need is more.

"Less is more" isn't just a catchy phrase to you, but a true description of a better way of life.


Minimalism makes it possible for us to free ourselves from the lies of materialism and finally do more than pay lip service to the idea that the things that make us happy are not things.  Getting rid of stuff you don't need has made room for something more important.


As you become minimalist, you take control of your life and give it direction.  What that means is up to you to decide.  Now that you're not chasing the latest and greatest stuff, you have the opportunity to decide what's really worth your time, talents, and energy.


What will you do with the new possibilities that are before you?





What about those 50 ways?  


With apologies to Paul Simon...


There must be 50 ways to leave your clutter.
Just put it in a sack, Jack,
Load it on a van, Stan,
Don't need all those toys, Roy,
Oh listen to me.
Give it to Goodwill, Bill,
Sell it on eBay, May,
Recycle what you can, Fran,
And get yourself free.

Put it in a box, Knox,
Take it to the car, Lamar,
Simplify your space, Grace,
Come on and listen to me.
Just keep what you need, Reid,
No need to debate the deed!
Don't let yourself wait, Kate,
You'll set yourself free.

© Karen Trefzger 2021


Well, I'm no poet, but I hope you got a laugh, anyway.







MINIMALIST BASICS OMNIBUS EDITION book
If you liked this post, I think you'll like my book, Minimalist Basics: The Omnibus Edition.  It includes three books from my bestselling Minimalist Basics series, Decluttering: The Simple Guide from A to Z, Minimalism 1-2-3: Simple Steps to a Better Life, and The Minimalist Experiment.  You'll turn to this useful and inspiration resource again and again as you craft your best life.


* This blog is reader-supported.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.





Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 25, 2021 at 2:36 PM

    Love it! My Dave enjoyed it, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. kurt and maryJune 26, 2021 at 4:12 PM

    I think you are clever! Now when I’m working on decluttering, you know what song I will be humming!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen TrefzgerJune 28, 2021 at 8:28 AM

      The tune certainly sticks in your mind, doesn’t it? Thanks for your kind comment.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

52 Minimalist Hobbies to Benefit and Enrich Your Life

By
Image
Everyone benefits from a hobby or two.  Hobbies reduce stress by letting you spend time on something you enjoy provide scope for creativity and imagination make you more knowledgeable and interesting help you develop patience and skills improve your sense of accomplishment and self-esteem promote mindfulness and concentration can create a social life and let you bond with others who share your interests can allow you to stay active and physically healthy I've known people with entire rooms dedicated to their hobby – studios for painting and pottery, sewing rooms, woodworking sheds, and basements filled with wine-making apparatus or a model train setup. But even if you live in a small space, like my husband and I do, or you want to pursue hobbies that require less equipment and expense, you're in luck.  Many hobbies take a lot of space and tools, but many do not, and you can probably find one of those that you'll enjoy. There are some tricks to making a hobby work in a small...
Read more

12 Easy, Daily Chores to Keep a Tidy Minimalist Home

By
Image
Good habits are more than the actions your mama nagged you about (wash your hands, turn off the lights, say please and thank you).  They're a foundation for the actions we need to do that let us take care of business without having to plan or decide each and every step.  For example: If you develop the habit of taking vitamins with a big glass of water each morning, you get all the benefits without having to debate the action. If you deal with mail efficiently each evening, you streamline your to-do list without burying a few important items in a mountain of junk. These useful habits benefit us, unlike bad habits such as smoking or oversleeping.  So why not develop some good habits to help us keep our homes tidy and clutter-free?  Reduce decision fatigue by making small, daily actions a routine for you and your family. Huge decluttering projects or deep cleaning sessions have their place, but for daily ease, try these quick and simple chores to make a profound differ...
Read more

Why You Should Make "Less is More" Your Mantra for Life

By
Image
Maybe you've heard the saying popularized by architect Mies van der Rohe in 1947:  "Less is more." It's an oxymoron – a phrase that seems to contradict itself.  Others include "old news," "open secret," "unbiased opinion," and "awfully good."  Or the lament, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." What does "less is more" mean?  It's wonderfully open-ended.  Answers to that are as varied as the people who reply.  Consider: Less anxiety, more peace. Less debt, more savings. Less busywork, more substance. Less clutter, more space. Less comparison, more contentment. Less sugar, more vegetables. Voluntary simplicity Back in the 1990s, a fair number of Americans realized that the continual quest for more and better was stressing them out and keeping them from creating lives of purpose.  After the consumerist binge of the yuppie-era 80s, some started wondering if the big house, flashy car, exotic vacation, and Rolex we...
Read more

Help - My Partner's Clutter is Driving Me Crazy!

By
Image
You love your partner.  But you don't love her stuff.  (And she doesn't love your nagging about her stuff.) It's a common issue for couples.  In fact, some surveys have found that nearly half of all couples argue about clutter.  A few even have the argument every day. If you're in this situation, decluttering by itself isn't going to add to your peace.  In fact, it might create more tension in your household.  It's important to find ways to come together in this area. Why clutter is an issue One reason there's so much friction about this topic is that, for many of us, possessions are part of our identity.  Your husband's tee shirt may look to you like it's ready to become a dust rag, but to him it might be a reminder of the time he saw his favorite band perform.  Your attempt to downgrade it might feel like a personal attack.  It's not so much about the physical item as it is about the emotion that's attached to it. How can this be resolved?...
Read more

Finding the Good in Hard Times

By
Image
As a child, the name "Good Friday" always confused me.  How is it good if it commemorates the day Jesus died?  I understood that Easter was the joyful celebration of Jesus' resurrection, the triumph of good over evil, and the hope of eternal life in relationship with God.  But how is the suffering of that Friday good ? I had to go through some suffering of my own to learn its potential. Whether or not you're a Christian, you're going to go through hard times at some point.  The world isn't perfect, and struggles and disappointments are real.  A strong and hopeful perspective is one you'll want to cultivate. 15 lessons we might learn from hard times 1.  We might learn that we're stronger than we know, and that we can survive things we never thought we could endure.   2.  We can learn to let the past go, wake up tomorrow, and try again. 3.  We learn not to waste energy on things that aren't important in the long run.  We get better at...
Read more