8.25.2020

Decluttering For Others

 After I moved in with my boyfriend, I helped him declutter several spaces in the house. The pantry was relieved of boxed and canned goods, some of which had expired 3 years before. The hall closet was cleared of expired medicines, and organized to make it easier to find things.

My  Challenge

 Eight months later, the hall closet needed another going over. I wanted to check for medicines that had expired since the previous clean out, and I wanted to further declutter and organize things better.

 One thing, however, challenged me. Air diffusers. For some reason I had trouble releasing them, even though we use a different brand around the house. I was stumped as to why I had so much trouble with these. We don't use them, I hadn't even looked for one of them to use, they would require a different brand refill if we wanted to use them AND if I threw them out, they would be easy and inexpensive to replace.

 What was my block?

They weren't mine.

 I hadn't made the choice to purchase them, and I wasn't sure if he wanted to use them again.

This is important to remember. It is hard to declutter another person's things because you don't know how they feel. Even if they say “get rid of all my old t-shirts” there may be one in there that they want to keep. The criteria they may have for choosing what to keep and what to release is not mine.

 The person the items belong to needs to be involved in the. This may mean that half of a closet is decluttered and organized while the other half isn't, but it is better than getting rid of items someone else treasured. (And chances are, once the other person sees how the other half looks, they want the same results for their things!)


Want more tips to declutter your home? Declutter One Small Space: Avoid Overwhelm While Creating Space is out!


Step-by-step instructions help you to choose one small area, gather the supplies you need, and get it decluttered. Practical and empowering tips help you sort and purge effectively so you keep what you want and need and get rid of what no longer fits your life.

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