Declutter Your Life
It's time to take out the trash.
I’m a bit of a clean freak. OK, that might be putting it a smidge mildly for those of you who know me. (And are probably laughing.) Hey…at least I’m not in denial, right? I can’t stand clutter and filth. And I know why that is. I have ADHD. A messy environment for me means things are going to be messy elsewhere, too. I don’t need anything else to be a mess! My brain has all that covered already.
My big red indicator light that things are spiraling out of control (again) is when I suddenly find myself sitting in my house surrounded by evidence of all the spontaneous projects, or the “oh yeah…I forgot to…” loose ends I was attempting to tie up. You know the ones…where there’s tape, a hammer, a box of plastic bags, a tube of paint, a dried up paint brush, steel wool, pliers, an old pair of jeans, a coat hanger, twine, various nails and screws, a cut-up Amazon box, an old toothbrush, a wash cloth, scraps of paper, Goo Gone, a couple small tree branches, last week’s mail, orange peels, and one of my shoes on the kitchen counter (??), along with piles of dirty dishes I didn’t have the energy to deal with. Meanwhile, it looked like I attempted 50 different failed outfits in my bedroom, and I might as well wash the sheets because there’s no hope for an easy fix for the bed. We’ll stop before I get to the mass destruction in my office. Two words: Complete. Overwhelm.
Oh holy cats…this is when I need to give myself a pep talk, go on a run to my “Desperate Measures” playlist, and dive in head first when I get home. I know the drill. The sooner I get my environment under control, the sooner I’ll feel back in control so I can actually function as a human being again. Yes, please! The more clutter I have to deal with, the more overwhelmed I get. Thus…I know I need to keep a tight ship or I’ll be slipping a few notches on my productivity chart. (Believe me…I have one.)
With my awful divorce came a silver lining of sorts - that I didn’t realize was a “thing” until it was finally over. Long, drawn-out story short: I had to move out of my own home of 20 years and into a tiny studio apartment while I waited for my (now ex-) husband to be ordered to leave. In doing that, I had to determine my most important possessions to bring with me - the stuff I would have been devastated to never see again. This…became my catalyst.
When I was able to move back in, I decided it was time for a bit of a remodel to remove the bad mojo. I had a funeral (literally) for the things I was forced to leave behind that he either stole, gave away, or sold, and got to work sorting through the rest of it. It was then that I realized I had WAY too much stuff!! I didn’t need it!! It was time to SIMPLIFY my life so I could get on with it. That was the best thing I could have done. I literally took out the trash! (And helped my contractor make a serious man cave in his garage!)
I highly recommend a little cleaning/sorting/organizing/fixing-up to re-ignite your life! Make room for all the good things that ARE going to happen in the glorious New Year! Here are a few tips to get started…
Get rid of your “junk drawers”. I don’t know about you, but I had a few of them. Trash the stuff that needs to be tossed. I mean really…where did all that random crap come from?! Put a new liner in the trash can, get a box going for donations, and find or create appropriate homes for things if you REALLY need to have them. Move on to the next drawer during your next opportunity. If you have ADHD, you probably love multi-tasking. Put your hands to use while you’re watching TV or talking to your mom on the phone.
Tackle that closet! I had stuff I hadn’t worn in years. It either didn’t fit anymore (most likely), I would have gotten stared at had I worn it, it made me feel frumpy, it got wrinkled all-to-hell every time I washed it (I’m not ironing ANYTHING), it was uncomfortable/itchy, it was missing a couple buttons (that I hadn’t found time to fix), or it had a hole (that I hadn’t found time to fix)… Whatever the case may be, either get rid of it, or fix it. If the fix-it pile gets laughable, you’re going to need to re-evaluate. Let’s be realistic here.
Papers, papers, and more papers… Get a filing cabinet if you don’t already have one, or go through all the papers in your current filing cabinet if you can’t possibly squeeze one more thing in there! Get rid of old receipts, statements, and tax crap older than 7 years, along with the good ol’ collection of papers you shoved in every cranny because you didn’t know where else to put them. I know…you *might need* that statement/form/receipt at some point. No, you won’t.
Be sure to get a paper shredder (with cross-shredding) to ensure no one steals your personal info! Or utilize your fireplace. My 2010 taxes made excellent kindling! You can also find shredding services to take the problem off your hands for a small fee…in exchange for freedom from clutter.
Cabinets. If your Tupperware collection looks anything remotely like mine did, you will be using plastic wrap instead of a lid because you can’t find a matching one to save your life. Take the whole works out and pair them up! Donate the containers you don’t need and trash that old sour cream container! NO!! Let that shit go! Donate gadgets you don’t use - and probably never will. Buh-bye. Rusty cake pans…do you want to get sick?! Thirty-six mis-matched random coffee cups? Come on now! How many people are you gonna be serving coffee to?! Freebie wine tasting glasses with logos on them…sayonara! Seriously – it’s time to go through and get rid of that stuff. Ahhhh….feels SO good!
Clean out the fridge and freezer. You KNOW there’s a science experiment growing in there somewhere, or something that’s so freezer burned that you can’t tell what it used to be. Time to go. Wipe everything out, get it organized, toss the condiments from 2018, and revel in a serious victory.
After you’ve tackled those items, you’ll be on a roll! You’re going to WANT to do the rest of the house after you see how fantastic decluttering your life feels! Go room by room and give it your love. One space at a time. Brick by brick…one drawer at a time. Eventually, it’ll all add up – so you can make time for the important stuff! You do not need to feel like you’re constantly behind! Take it from me. That’s how I used to feel. Tidy up…and take 2025 by the horns!
It’s amazing what a little cleaning therapy can do.
By simplifying, you're not just clearing out physical space but also making room for new energy, growth, and peace of mind. The metaphorical "taking out the trash" was a significant act of letting go—not only of material possessions but perhaps of old attachments, negative energy, or emotional baggage.
I’m on it! Thanks for the motivation and the laughter, Kim!