One of my February goals was to work on a list of simplifying tasks I made up for myself. I shared them as inspiration for anyone in the process of decluttering their home. Then I got thrown a curveball when I was gifted “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. She has a unique decluttering method and perspective on how to tidy, and it didn’t align with my list of tasks. First, Kondo says you should tidy by category and not space. This list, by contrast, handles items by space. So what’s a girl to do? I had already started some of these tasks, so I continued them, but for all other categories I went by her process. Kondo insists you must tidy in one swoop vs. bit by bit, and I’m aiming to be done this month. Here’s what I’ve done so far as part of my decluttering.
1. Go through notes in my memo app and delete ones that are no longer necessary. Done.
2. Sell or donate DVDs. I let go of all our CDs and a bunch of DVDs. I sold two DVD sets on eBay and donated the rest. I told Graham that if he wanted to keep his that’s fine, but they won’t be stored in my office, because my office space should bring me joy.
3. Sell or donate books I don’t need or care about. I still have books from college. Why?! Done. I touched every book and kept the ones that bring me joy. I got rid of the books that I know I’ll never read, which was seven of them. Luckily I didn’t have a big book collection in the first place.
4. Sort through craft supply box and get rid of anything I haven’t used in a year. It’s just taking up space in my office closet. I got rid of so much stuff, including all the Mardi Gras decor I had been holding onto; old, extra holiday cards; extra file folders, etc.
5. Scroll through text app and delete old threads. Done.
6. Delete pictures from my phone. I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now and I am shocked at how many pointless photos I take. Do I really need 10 shots of my dessert? I deleted more than 350 photos and still could delete a lot more. It’s super time-consuming so it will take some time. Kondo would suggest leaving this for later, but I had already begun as part of my own effort.
7. Donate and sell clothes, again. I did the KonMarie method and touched every item, examining how I felt. I got rid of 30 pieces. I listed another six for sale on PoshMark and eBay. I didn’t have a big clothing collection so this felt like a lot. Graham got rid of two or three bags of clothing as well.
8. Go through accessory, sock and bathing suit drawers to get rid of anything not worn in a year. Why do I feel the need to keep a bathing suit I bought in college? Done. I got rid of all worn and old bathing suits, gloves missing their partners, old accessories I don’t like anymore, and so much more.
9. Delete and archive work emails. I’ve been doing this every day for a couple of weeks and don’t seem to be making much progress.
10. Get rid of shoes not worn in a year. I am known to wear the same shoes all the time: flats. I really only need one pair of heels for when I go into work. All other pairs just seem to take up space. After reading the book I realize it’s not about setting a time limit but how I feel about the shoes. I got rid of five more pairs that didn’t match up to the person I want to be. Graham got rid of a few pairs of his own shoes, too.
11. Get rid of extra contact lens cases. I have millions of these. Where do they come from? I really only need an extra one, right? Done. I kept four, two for travel and two for home.
12. Buy new matching dinner plates and get rid of both sets of mismatched plates we have. Most of them are chipped at this point anyway. Not yet.
13. Get matching set of flatware and donate/get rid of all mismatched ones. Not yet.
14. Donate extra or unused kitchenware and jars. I keep old spaghetti jars, clean them and use them to store things, but I don’t need as many as I have. I donated five jars but haven’t gone through the kitchenware.
15. Get rid of worn-out pillows. We only need a few extras for guests. Not yet.
16. Look through boxes of stuff from high school or college and get rid of anything I don’t have a reason to keep. I’m not sure why I felt the need to keep old movie-ticket stubs. Do you? I got rid of all the movie stubs and tickets I had. I emptied an entire photo album of random papers I kept. I had a bunch of elementary school stuff I sorted through and kept only the things that invoked a positive feeling.
17. Sort through our miscellaneous drawer in hallway and organize. Get rid of all the extra cords and cables we have in there. I found an entire box of random cables taking up space in my office closet. I got rid of them considering we’ve gone a whole year without needing them. That drawer is now home to only the cords and chargers we use, as well as the accessories for our lost GoPro.
18. Consolidate all important paperwork in one place. Shred old paperwork. Mostly done. This is the most time-consuming task on the list. I still have some old paperwork to shred.
19. Donate holiday decor that I’m tired of using. Not yet.
20. Get rid of old dog toys and accessories we no longer use. Done. Turns out we didn’t have much to discard.
21. Unsubscribe from retailer emails. I feel like I have done this for like 10 retailers, but I still get their emails. Whyyyy?
Do you enjoy decluttering? Did you use the KonMarie method or another process? Tell me all about it in the comments!