Be More with Less

simplicity is love

Clearing the Clutter You Can’t See

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Clearing the clutter is essential to be more with less. Just because you don’t see your clutter, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. That sounds like an obvious statement, but until I prepared for the yard sale of the century (and the last yard sale I will ever have), I didn’t know what I was up against. When emptying the clutter from a storage area in our garage and a big shed on the side of our house, I thought I might be recruited for an episode of “Hoarders”. I’ve never seen the show, but I have seen sneak peak previews and it’s not pretty.

As a family of three, we are pretty tidy, even our garage “looks” pretty good. Or should I say, “looked” pretty good. Now that we have consolidated the hidden clutter in our two car garage, we can’t even fit one car inside. As I walk through my garage now, two questions come to mind. 1. Why did I think I could afford to buy all of this stuff? 2. Why did I hold onto it for so long? The actual answers to the questions don’t matter as much as the fast that I think and act differently today.

We set up a good system for clearing the clutter. The garage is divided into three rows.

  • Row #1 Sell It

  • Row #2 Trash It

  • Row #3 Save It

So far, the “Sell It” row is much bigger than the rest, and after we finish sorting through boxes, we are going to take a really hard look at the “Save It” row and make sure we are saving  for the right reasons. The initial sort has been quick and obvious, but the next step is going to be some be more with less soul searching and really clearing the clutter!

5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Clearing the Clutter

Evolution – If you can let go of the same stuff you’ve held onto for years, even though you moved it from state to state or house to house,  and never took it out of the box, you are starting to understand that your stuff doesn’t define you, and that you have enough.

Hidden meaning – Look at what’s in your “Save It” row. Are there hobbies or passions, things you haven’t taken time for, waiting for you? This collection of goods that you cannot part with, tells you something about your life.

Kids don’t want the clutter either – Now is time to drop the, “I’m saving this for my children” excuse. My 14 year old daughter has been an integral part of this process and she didn’t want to keep her 84 stuffed animals, baby clothes or other items that I was “saving for her”. It was fun to take a walk down memory lane, but getting rid of the stuff, does not get rid of her childhood.

Clutter attracts clutter – As you start clearing the clutter, you will feel compelled to go through your house and get rid of more. Likewise, if you bring more clutter into your home, it will multiply.

Don’t wait – Clearing the clutter doesn’t have to wait until you move. In fact, attempting to shed your stuff during something like a move, might be counter productive. Your focus may be on the actual move, new location, or selling your home, instead of actually clearing the clutter.

Where is your clutter hiding?

  • Spare bedroom?
  • Garage?
  • Attic?
  • Shed?
  • Trunk of your car?
  • Storage rental?
  • Closets?
  • A friend’s house?

Clearing the clutter that you don’t see every day will be nothing less than liberating! All of that stuff that you have hidden away weighs you down and holds you back. Let it go, and make room for good stuff, which usually isn’t stuff at all.

Comments

  1. Oh my god, you are so right! The hidden clutter is the worst. I have a junk drawer in the kitchen that is out of control, and it’s only a drawer. I needs to be dealt with and pronto! Great decluttering advice, Courtney. I love how you bring it back to inside clutter, and how our stuff does not define us. We are enough. Most houses are a reflection of the inner self, aren’t they? There must be some junk drawer in my brain that needs a shake up. Nice post.

  2. Good advice, Courtney! Now you’ve got me thinking about my hidden clutter–I know where it is and I need to tackle it.

  5. Hi Courtney,
    This is a great post and so helpful as I prepare to move from my home.

    Even though I don’t have way too much stuff, I still have more than I need for sure.

    Thank you for this!

  6. Good luck with the yard sale!
    I recently read that nothing new will be attracted into your life while you are holding onto old junk (or at least stuff you have no need for!) So I would imagine you are right, when it is all gone, ots of other great things will enter your life. Just be selective which ones you keep!
    Best wishes,
    Kate

  7. I just love the feeling when you’re done with that kind of exercise. It’s liberating in a way. We don’t have a garage, but we did something similar with the basement last summer. Awesome.

    Might I add one more place where clutter could be lurking? Your mind. Shedding un-helpful thoughts and feelings goes such a long way to clearing the virtual cobwebs out, letting the sun shine in and helping us focus on the moment. It takes work, but well worth the effort!

    Be well!

  8. Oh, my! And *ouch*! This hit home, Courtney. G and I are going to be moving in the next few months, and I am more and more aware of how, despite our “simplicity” lifestyle, we still have just plain old junk … clutter … stuff that needs to be bid adieu. Eek!

    Our clutter occupies two many places: a spare, unused room and some drawers. Even now they are leering at me and sniggering.

  9. For the last twelve years I have been working on clutter control. During this time I have moved three times. Last month, I finally finished. It was so easy to make a filing system and even clear out the garage. I was ready to let things go by then.

  10. I am so glad to see all the blogs talking on this subject. Every time I see a 2 or 3 car garage and all the cars parked outside, I count up all the money that must have paid for all that junk. We could afford college for all our children, or give homes to everyone in africa with all that money. Just think of the money we have to spend for necessities, isn’t that enough? without doubling it for knick knacks?? to put in the garage?!

  12. The “sell it” part in my garage has been there for more than a year… So I decided today that there will be no garage sale, and the “sell it” will turn into a “give it away”. There is a Red Cross shop near my office and that’s where it’s going to end next week. I will have more space in my garage, and good conscience about a good action done.

  13. Thanks for this post! We’re not moving right now, but in another year or so I’d really like to put our house on the market and look at downsizing. Even though I continually declutter, the hidden clutter is still overwhelming! I’ll take a look at it with fresh ideas this weekend and make a plan to get through it.

  14. Being a minimalist is so hard, even if I want to do it so bad. I live in my parents house. Basically, it’s also my house. My dad is overseas comes home every 6 months, my mom died, my siblings come and go in this house. But this is all our house. So, I can’t do anything about other stuff/clutter around. I can only control my own stuff. But I really want to incorporate this be more with less kind of living, but how do I do that with this kind of situation.

  15. Courtney, what do you do when you think you’re done decluttering? I know I have way more things than a minimalist ( dinner set that can feed twelve in a household of three) but I love the things I kept and everything is organized behind closed doors. I can even name everything I own. What do you do when your decluttering journey is complete? Also as a side question, I have only one daughter, how is it having an only child?

    • I love being a parent to an only child. In terms of decluttering, I think it’s an ongoing process. That doesn’t mean you have to do it all the time, but it’s something I revisit from time to time as my interests and habits change. When you are finished for now, spend time doing things you love and enjoy your newfound time and space.

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