Gladys B Strickland - Declutter One Small Space

Gladys B Strickland

Declutter One Small Space

Avoid Overwhelm While Creating Space

First published by Never Give Up Press 2020

Copyright 2020 by Gladys B Strickland

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Gladys B Strickland has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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There are many reasons to declutter your home. Maybe you are tired of not being able to find what you want. Perhaps it is nagging from friends or family to get rid of your excess stuff. Maybe you realize that you no longer need to keep things you dont use or enjoy.

Whatever your reason, the time to declutter has arrived.

Yet you hesitate. Where do you begin? How do you decide what to keep? And what do you do with the stuff you decide to get rid of? If you need to declutter your entire home, these thoughts can be so overwhelming that you dont even start.

The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention.

Larry Eisenberg

Thats where this book can help you. Well pick one small area, one section of your home, and focus on that. It may be a closet or a dresser. Or maybe you go even smaller, with one drawer in your dresser or one cabinet in your kitchen. Maybe you want to start with your purse or gym bag. Whatever it is, begin with that.

Once you choose the area, Ill guide you through the steps to get it decluttered and cleaned. Then you can move on to another small area.

Once you get a few small areas decluttered, you gain momentum and confidence to keep working through your home. Maybe you tackle bigger projects, such as your entire kitchen or garage. Or maybe you keep going one small space at a time until your entire home is decluttered. These steps work for any size area you choose.

According to Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition, clutter is a crowded or confused mass or collection; things that clutter a place. There is also another definition, this time a verb: To fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness.

Where is your home crowded or confused? What impedes movement or reduces effectiveness? Those are things that may cause clutter.

Maybe you need to just put things where they belong. But do you have room to store them? Are you just storing things that you dont need, want or use? Part of decluttering is learning what you need and making a place for that in your home. What you need for your life differs from what your neighbor, your family, or your co-workers need.

Thats what this book will help you do. Together well walk through your things, help you decide what to keep, and use a series of questions to help you realize what you can let go of. Well go through what you are getting rid of to help you decide what to do with it. And to avoid overwhelm, well do it one small space at a time.

Note: this book is designed to help people who want to clean out and declutter. It is not designed to deal with hoarding situations. If you or someone you know is dealing with that issue, please contact a mental health professional to get started. Below are some online resources to check or do an internet search to find what is available in your area.

https://hoarding.iocdf.org/

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/hoarding

I have always considered myself a pack-rat and I continue to struggle to let go of many things. Some are for sentimental reasons. As a lover of history, I value things that were a part of my life. It feels like letting go of them is cutting off a part of my past as if it never happened.

I also struggle with adding more to ever-growing landfills and would rather hang on to things than throw them away. Sure I try to find someone to give them to, either a friend or a charity, but if things are broken or worn out, they arent often worth giving to anyone.

Underlying everything though is the thought I might need something someday. Books from college, notes from classes, receipts for items I purchased long ago. I kept clothes because I might lose weight. Once I did, I kept clothes too large for me because I might gain the weight back. I might run out of shampoo so that half-empty bottle I didnt like might be all I had to wash my hair. I might want to use that special pan to cook in, not have it, and not be able to afford another one.

I shudder to think of how many heavy boxes I moved time after time for no good reason.

Underneath my struggle was the fact that I made decisions based on fear. Fear of poverty. Fear of lack. Perhaps this is an issue for you. If so, part of learning to declutter is to recognize this and work to adjust your mindset to one of abundance and prosperity.

So what changed for me?

I wanted a different life. I wanted a life not weighed down by my past. I wanted to live with an attitude of prosperity. And I wanted to move where it was sunny and warm and on the ocean. To afford such a move, I knew Id need to reduce my possessions.

I spent the years I was preparing to move working through one area of my home, cleaning it out as best I could, then moving on to another.

This transformation did not happen quickly, but I noticed a change in me. Id often return to an area I had previously decluttered and realize that some of what I had trouble letting go of before was now easy to release. The momentum I gained by letting go of things helped me realize that much of what I feared I might need I didnt. I could let go of them and free up more space in my life. Each time I went through an area, I let go of more.

Sure, I kept some sentimental items. I also kept papers that I knew would be important to have available. And I had saved many things online allowing me to retrieve them later if necessary.

To be honest, there are a few things I occasionally miss. Id love to have my mixer with the dough hooks back, so I can easily make bread. There are recipes from cookbooks I got rid of that I sometimes wish I had at my fingertips. I still think about things belonging to my grandmothers, wondering if I should have kept them even though I never used them.

But I want to assure you, these things are small compared to the number of things I got rid of. The stacks of paper that were just junk. Clothes I didnt wear and knickknacks I no longer used. If I wanted any of them again, I could purchase another one. I dont because I dont need any of them.

If this former pack-rat can declutter, so can you.

Lets get started.

What are you decluttering? What do you hope to achieve in the end? You may be preparing to move and want to get rid of things to make the move easier. Maybe you are tired of not being able to find things you need. Perhaps all the stuff in your home is overwhelming you. Maybe you just want more open space.