4 Struggles I've Had While Decluttering and How I Overcame Them.

Early last year I began cracking down on how many objects I possessed. At first I thought that the process was going to be absolutely terrible, but it turned out to be the best thing I could have done for myself. Truly, there is nothing more refreshing to me now than looking in a room or closet and seeing... well, almost nothing!

But let me clarify,

I have not gotten rid of things that I use on a daily bases or that is a necessity. What I have done is gotten rid of things like clothes I never wear and my junk drawer (you know we all have those). I am not done cleaning out my house, but I am getting there one room at a time!

Although I am happy with the outcome,

I have experienced some personal struggles while I simplified my home and I would like to share how I have overcome them. Maybe this insight will help you, if not that at least it might bring you some laughter!

1. "But I might miss this in the future"

This really troubled me when it came to cleaning out my closet. There were clothing items that I hadn't worn in years but I still kept them because maybe, one MAGICAL day, my outfit would desperately need that specific scarf or blouse. And of course, if I had gotten rid of it, then my whole world would end.

I was finally able to overcome this by calculating just how long it had been since I had worn the item, and if it was over 2 months I didn't keep it. (but you can choose your own timespan)

2. "But I spent $$ amount on this and it would be a waste to get rid of this now."

No. No it would not. I had a pair of Miss Me jeans (for you guys out there, they are $100+ blue jeans with shiny back pockets) that I had only worn a handful of times before I outgrew them. I felt like giving them away would be a total waste, luckily I was able to sell them to Plato's Closet for a little cash!

I have to say, even if you spent big bucks on something, if you can't use it than either give it to someone who really needs it or you can sell it. A much bette alternative than letting it take up space.

3. "There is so much I would have to sort through, I would never be able to minimize my belongings."

SO. FALSE. It is true that in order to clean things up, you will have to take things out of hiding (yes, even the creepy crawly stuff under your bed). But it CAN be sorted through. What I like to do is go one room at a time. I first take everything out, then I organize them into "categories" (such as school projects, personal documents, hair products, etc.). For me this is less stressful because I can go to each category one-by-one and minimize them.

4. "Now that I have sorted through that, I am done."

This is also false. Take clothes for example, they get worn out at some point and need replacing. Minimizing your home isn't just a one time thing that you do, it is a life style. But don't worry, it doesn't mean that every week you have to stress over decluttering! What has worked well for me is to go back to a room every two or so months to check and see if there is something I can do without, this keeps from building up a lot of stuff and having to do another big declutter job like I had when I first started.

I hope that my experiences can help you in your journey to a more simple life, wether you have just begun or are a more seasoned minimalist! I would love to hear from you if you have any comments or suggestions! Happy cleaning y'all :)