Want to be more productive and enjoy your writing even more? Declutter! Here’s how I was able to part with some of the things that were no longer needed but too hard to part with.
I came from a four bedroom, two living-area, two dining room house to a three bedroom, one living-area and one dining room house. From a garage to no garage. Major downsizing. Needless to say, we had a lot of stuff that would no longer fit into a much smaller house. So much of the items we had were things that we had spent money on and liked. Thus came the problem: how do we get rid of the things we still actually want but have no room for? Clutter clutter clutter. Help!
Getting rid of our stuff has proven very difficult, until I recently had a breakthrough with my thought process. Instead of getting rid of my stuff, which most people actually equate with trashing or destroying, I’ve come to think of it as giving it to someone. It’s hard for me to “get rid,” “trash” good things but it is not hard to give things away to those I know who will enjoy it and get good use out of it.
I did this recently. I loaded up several boxes of books, nick-nacks, and even a real pretty coat and drove it to Goodwill. The donation center is usually right next to the main store. I pulled up and someone came out. I asked if they would take my things. Within no more than five minutes, my boxes were unloaded and a receipt was given to me. Yay! How easy was that! The empty backseat of my car seemed veryproud.
I also gave a few items to a family member who I knew would enjoy it and get good use of it. These were some things that I still really liked and didn’t really want to part with, but had no room for. It was freeing to give it to good hands, which is the purpose of the item, anyway.
After this experience, I have freed myself of clutter and too much. It feels great knowing that for those things I don’t have a place for I can simply donate. This doesn’t mean I’ll give away everything, obviously, but it helps to part with things at some point. After all, a room too full of pretty items is no longer pretty anymore. Look at the picture below. Which version would you feel most ready to write in?
Hope that helps! A clean, orderly and clutter-free home always makes me feel better and makes me more productive.
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