De-Clutter

When I was 14, I spent a great deal of time jamming out to Survivor by Destiny's Child with my bestie who I am lucky to now have as a roommate, a few states away from the basement where we used to read Harry Potter and play Karaoke Revolution. And where my mom used to clean up after us.



Today, we put on the same Destiny's Child CD (Seriously, that CD has had a life!! Also, DC's cover of Emotion is really clutch!!) and threw a cleaning party to de-clutter our common apartment space. There was much bootylicious dancing with the broom and singing into the Swiffer duster. It made the process of cleaning up the mess of four people + friends immensely easier and now the living room is so much nicer to inhabit. (It's hard to live a fabulous life when the place you live stresses you out!)

Decluttering can be emotional. Who wants to get rid of that little red dress you wore to that dinner thing with that guy two years ago that you swear you will be able to wear somewhere again? And who doesn't attach a little too much sentimental value to silly things? For me, it's books with marginalia (I have two degrees in English for a reason), then, as I mentioned Monday, shoes. It's hard to know what to get rid of, what to keep; to get perspective on what things really matter when you are surrounded by chaos. But, tackling the junk drawer or bookshelf, or at our apartment, the "drawer of shame" puts all of those feelings to rest.

Getting rid of little things that don't really matter as much as a memory creates so much more room to breathe, to be happy, to live, to make new memories.

It's easier to take in small doses; a closet or room a day, moving from place to place. The change is infectious, motivating you to really get things on track in other aspects of your life; I filed my taxes super early after I finished deep cleaning my room. And I really feel purged of all of the negative energy that I'd been trying to overcome, like I let go of many things that had been subconsciously holding me back, keeping me from performing at peak level while they were covering my floor, crowding my closet.

So, if things are feeling a little overwhelming for you, grab your roommate, your best friend, your beau, your cat and some rad tunes and get to cutting out the junk. It's amazing how much zen clarity and calm a clean, organized room can bring you.

I found that this article from Real Simple was a huuuuuuuge help. (Not to mention the unconditional willingness to spontaneously burst into song of grown-up BFF and I, not at all unlike our 14-year-old counterparts...)

Happy De-Cluttering!!




Kisses,
AJS