Creatrope

As you settle back in the chair after a multi-hour decluttering session you realize that the ‘outbox’ – things to be garbaged/donated/recycled is pretty darn small.

You’ve just spent your afternoon in the classic situation of orbiting around decluttering and instead just Moved Stuff Around. I’ve done that more than a few times…

Don’t get me wrong – getting things in the right place is a big step toward home organization, and it can achieve good results if used judiciously. But if you’re like most people, the real gains and satisfaction are only gotten by the physical removal of items from the house.

The great thing about focusing on removal versus moving stuff around is that it is far more virtuous: It puts you one step closer to Living Simple, makes that that next decluttering phase easier, and you don’t waste your time and effort cleaning/shelving/organizing items that you probably shouldn’t have in the first place.

Food for thought: the next time you get a head of steam to declutter and find yourself moving an item from one room to another, stop for a moment and consider whether you really love it, you really need it, it improves your life or has a good possibility of doing so in the near future – and if not – perhaps tossing it into the donation bin is the right solution.