De-clutter, De-stress and Redefine Success: Part two

By Lisa Jones

Getting your ducks in a row can feel like herding cats.

But that’s why we are just doing one, simple thing at a time, so we can feel accomplished and awesome. Last month, we took a look at the private spaces of the home, so now, while we are still invigorated, let’s move on to the more public spaces.

Kitchen
I had one cookbook about garlic. And another one about potatoes. That just seemed unnecessary.

My cookbook shelf was constantly threatening to be crushed beneath its own weight. While I still love leafing through a real cookbook once in a while, online recipes are pretty wonderful and have the added bonus of reviews from folks who have given them a test run. 101 Cookbooks, Poor Girl Gourmet and America’s Test Kitchen are a few of my favorite recipe sites. And for all those unnecessary cookbooks, donating to the library is a great way to give back to our community!

Ready for more? The other day I realized that I had a can of fire-roasted tomatoes that expired in the summer of 2009. You get the idea.

Living room
Rearranging furniture in a room can be a great (free!) way to get a fresh look and recognize pieces that might just not be right anymore. Get rid of anything that just doesn’t feel authentic and/or useful. I get weirdly attached to furniture, so before I donate or craiglist items to which I am emotionally attached, I’ll take a photo of them. That way the memories remain, but I don’t end up on that show about hoarders on TLC.

Ready for more? I love actual, real photos printed out on physical paper. Clear out those meaningless knick-knacks and replace them with pictures (people, places, animals) you love. Those kinds of photos can never be clutter. Make sure you switch them up often, so you have a variety of comforting, loving faces to see in your home. I like to leave a few of my favorite photos stacked in the back of the frame, so I don’t have to go searching around for that perfect shot when I want to rotate the image.

Family room
I have a major weakness for books, but I own so many that I am never going to reread. I love using swap.com to reduce my clutter and get new (to me) books. I make a list of the books I want to give away and the books I’d like to receive. For the price of shipping plus a small fee to the company (all in, it’s less than $4) I get rid of a book that I no longer need, I receive a book I’ve been craving and nothing ends up in a landfill. All the books that I have on my swap list get placed in a storage box in the basement, waiting to be mailed off to their new grateful owners.

Ready for more? Candles at night are romantic and lovely, but I tend to have 5 million of them in my house, sitting in the same place for years and getting dusty. Time for a candle clear out. I also try to avoid spewing overly fragranced toxins into the air, so I’ve switched to soy candles with essential oils or beeswax candles. They still smell wonderful and are much better for the lungs.

Garage/Yard
Now is the perfect time to start thinking about your spring garden. Get rid of last year’s backyard clutter and make sure you are prepared for the growing season. If you are a new gardener, pick up a few books from the library. Browse through a site dedicated to organic gardening, such as Seeds of Change.  If you have very little space, an herb garden or a small container garden can produce a surprising amount of food and will change your whole perspective on what you choose to put in your body and where it comes from.

Ready for more? Get rid of old nasty paint/bug spray/chemicals that might be living in the garage. Check out this helpful directory from Better World Betty to figure out where to safely dispose of stuff, such as paint and batteries, locally. Consider making the switch to more natural options that could be better for your health and the health of the planet. Check out Charlottesville Sanitary Supply and Blue Ridge Eco Shop for greener replacements.

Now that we have successfully done a great first pass through the house, maybe we can see decluttering as a gratifying process, rather than an albatross. The next phase is to keep clutter from getting in the house to begin with. Strongly consider each item that is allowed to come into your home. For me, if it doesn’t further my goal of having a peaceful, simple sanctuary, it doesn’t make it through the door. I don’t care how on sale it was.

Good luck, dive in and start realizing how less stuff really does leave space for more joy. I promise.

Lisa Jones is a writer and a yoga fanatic with a serious travel addiction. Lisa explores all things simple and sustainable through her blog Simplifying the Simple Life.