De-cluttering your home – opting for a simpler way of life

THERE comes a time in life when everyone realises that they would like their life to be simpler, more straightforward and full of worthwhile endeavours.

Spending all their time doing housework, finding things or shuffling paperwork does not fit into people’s vision of an ideal lifestyle. De-cluttering your home can have a dramatic impact on your quality of life, freeing up time, creating an inviting home atmosphere and saving you time and money.

There are a number of steps you can take to regain order in your home, with de-cluttering topping the list.

There are three categories of clutter that will be discussed here – two of them focussed on the past and one on the future.

Clear out unfinished projects

Remember that phase you went through when you did cross-stitch, model planes or scrapbooking? Art and craft hobbies can collect a significant amount of materials, and even when we no longer enjoy those activities, we hang on to unfinished projects and associated materials because we spent good money, or ‘should’ finish them.

There is no point beating yourself up over unfinished projects or discarded hobbies. They were great when they were an important part of your life, but if they no longer are, they need to go to make room for things that do enrich your life now.

Memories: keep just the good ones

A lot of people hold onto sentimental items that can negatively impact on quality of life because they can’t part with them. Sometimes it’s necessary to let go of these in order to live a less cluttered life, and it’s the hardest category to let go of. In order to reduce this load on you, you need to get a bit tough and ask yourself the hard questions.

The first question to ask is, “Does this make me happy? Is it a good memory?” You should only keep things around you that make you happy; if it makes you feel guilty, sad or bitter, then the item has no place in your life. Say goodbye and be better for it.

The next question is, “How many memories are enough?” Sometimes we collect a number of items to remind us of a person or a time in our life, when one or two would still invoke the same happy memories. Set yourself some boundaries – decide what is enough and what will make you happy.

“But I might need it one day”

Another thing we sometimes do that collects clutter is keeping things “just in case”. It’s good to avoid wastage and save things for later use, but it’s important to put boundaries around those things.

An entire laundry full of toilet paper that is on special every few weeks is not necessary; three weeks’ worth is sufficient. Place boundaries around your “one day I might need this” collections to limit them so they don’t impact on your lifestyle.

Right now is all you have, so make the most of it. Don’t let items from the past or items kept for the future clog up who you can be right now. You have the chance to design your life to be full of fun and joy – not looking for things amongst all your clutter!

This article was provided by the Council on the Ageing (COTA), the peak body which for more than 50 years has been representing the interests and views of older Australians. Visit www.cotamembership.org.au or call 1300 1400 50 to learn more and to become a member.