End of year decluttering epiphanies – making that space for change

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We’re almost at the end of this year — I wish I could say I’m ready for it, but it really feels as if the time has flown faster than usual!

This is a common thread of feelings that start to bubble up for so many us when October starts to turn toward November and it seems like it will be a challenge-filled scramble to make the most of the rest of the year.

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When I think of the year when it comes to the process of decluttering and streamlining physical “stuff”, I will say that since I’ve been adopting a more minimalist thought process, I’ve been more consistent about decluttering and more intentional about slowly but surely getting rid of what isn’t necessary while bringing in what’s truly necessary.

This is a fully imperfect process and needs so much more work but I’m happy with what is a worthwhile work in progress.

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While going through the process of streamlining and letting go of clutter, I’ve had several epiphanies on the intangibles benefits of letting things go that I thought were worth writing about–

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1. The more you declutter, the more you become aware of clutter. I think so many of us accept a certain amount of clutter within certain areas in a living space. If you’ve made peace with a little disorganization at all times in these areas, you may not even notice if that particular spot has a little more or a little less clutter. The funny thing is that once you make an effort to ensure that a section of that area is immaculate, the rest of the space suddenly seems wildly cluttered. I think that an increase in awareness of our surroundings can make us more present – not always in a comfortable way, but in a way that propels us to think more and do more. They do say change comes from having a level of discomfort in your life.
2. You can get a lot done in 10 minutes – just set that timer. I’ve been using the setting-a-timer technique to get in a quick 10 minutes of pushing through on a procrastinated-on-pile. That combination of a time limit and wanting to get as much done as possible in a short amount of time helps with making surprising inroads into what might seem like a challenging task.
3. The intangible result of consistent decluttering can be a mindset of creating space for the new and for change..The funny thing about streamlining and focusing on creating serene surroundings is that the very act of letting go of what isn’t working or needed creates a feeling of openness. You start to let go of other, not necessarily physical things and begin to look skeptically at anything that is a distraction that is keeping you from more important aspects of life.
4. It’s very easy to fall back into old habits. It helps to have easy routines to fall back on. Just when you think you’re on top of things, you’re not. This is probably the most obvious epiphany, but also the one that can pop up when you least expect it. For me, it has been important to have very consistent routines to fall back on when procrastination or overwhelm wave from a not-too-far-away distance. The very act of deciding to spend 20 minutes to get something in order and then following a familiar routine can give you the reset you need when things are starting to pile up.

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How are you doing as we head toward the end of this year? Can you believe we’re almost ready for 2023!?!?

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Have a great week!