This is the second entry in this year’s Blogging A to Z challenge, for which the theme here at Titus 2 Homemaker is Growth from A to Z.  Today we’re talking about “Bagging it up” or, in not-so-alphabetized terms, decluttering.

Why Declutter?

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
-William Morris

The quote above summarizes the heart of decluttering.  Decluttering is not about having fewer than a certain number of items.  You can have relatively few belongings and have mostly clutter, and you can own a lot of things, but have little to no clutter.  Clutter can be about untidiness (although that’s really more a matter of disorganization than clutter), but is primarily a matter of whether or not the items you own enhance your life.  

If the items you own are useful or beautiful, they add to your life.  If they aren’t, they don’t.  (Caveat: A thing needs to be functionally beautiful or useful in order to earn its keep.  If it’s theoretically beautiful or useful but not actually adding to your home’s aesthetic or being put to use, or if it’s getting in the way more than its being helpful, it’s still clutter.)

This distinction is important, because it gets at the heart of why we declutter.  We don’t declutter to look good, or because we “should,” or any of those other “surface” purposes.  Ultimately, we declutter so we can live life more abundantly.  I know that sounds a little strange — to think of getting rid of things in terms of “abundance”  — but it’s really true.  Our lives are more abundant when we have only that “stuff” which enhances our lives and not that which hinders us.

How to Declutter (Resources for Decluttering)

My single favorite decluttering resource is Dana White’s new book, Decluttering at the Speed of Life.   You can read my review of it here but, in a nutshell, it’s especially helpful for those who have been unsuccessful at decluttering in the past, or those who need to be able to declutter in bits and snatches without leaving a big mess in the interim.

Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff

Depending on the scope of your project, you might also want to take part in a decluttering challenge.  There are numerous challenges available, all set up with different formats.  If you want to go very simple, I like the 2018 in 2018 challenge (it’s what I’m doing, myself, this year) which is a simple checklist so you can chart your progress.

If you want a different kind of challenge, you could try one of the following:

• 91-Day challenge (13 weeks)
• 15-Minute daily missions (for a year)
• 30-Day challenge

If you’re having trouble getting started, try doing something really easy first.  Either easy in scope (like a single drawer), or easy in decision-making, like getting rid of obvious garbage.  Don’t start with the difficult sentimental stuff or the entire garage!

Do you have a favorite decluttering resource or tip?  Share it in the comments.