This post is from Eva Jannotta, marketing expert and virtual client
I like to think of myself as a bit of a decluttering maven. I frequently go through my things and find one or two items to let go of. So as I prepared to pack all my worldly possessions and move across the country, I felt confident. This will be a piece of cake, I thought. I’ll just get rid of everything that doesn’t spark joy, and then I won’t have to pack it. I’ll start over fresh with just the joyful stuff when I move. Easy!
You might be chuckling right about now. Sure enough, purging and packing were much harder than I expected. Thankfully, I called on Pam Holland, a professional home organizer, in my hour of need and through a virtual decluttering session, she helped me identify some roadblocks to my progress. Here is what I learned about the things I had trouble letting go:
Things That Fill Space
When you live in a small home you often need to declutter by necessity. Small homes are powerful motivators to keep your things curated so you make the most of the space you have. But if you live in a bigger home with plenty of storage space, it’s easy to hold on to things!
I had lots of things that I didn’t want or need simply because they had a place to “live” in my home. Pam pointed out that while this is a powerful system for organizing, it was time to take a closer look. I had extra umbrellas, vases, Tupperware, books, art from college, and papers that I kept because I had a place to put them – not because they brought joy or ease to my life.
Things That Go Together
My mom bought me some beautiful blue dishes from an antique store. I love the plates, which came with matching teacups and saucers. I found myself packing the cups and saucers without even recognizing that I never use them! Just because things go together doesn’t mean the whole set serves your lifestyle.
There were several occasions when I packed something because it was part of a set or category… then realized, wait, I don’t actually want those items. I was surprised by how much stuff I packed on autopilot, without stopping to check in with myself first. Pam reminded me that while purging before packing is a good goal, most people declutter best in stages. I will definitely do more cluttering after my move, and that doesn’t mean I “failed” at my first attempt. It means it’s a multi-step process!
Things From The Past
I’ve been flirting with minimalism for years, but packing to move made me realize just how much stuff I have that is purely sentimental. I don’t just mean beautiful but impractical items that I love; I mean old journals, main lesson books, and yearbooks. I rarely look at these items. Most of the time, they sit in a storage box.
Why am I keeping these? I asked myself. On one hand, it seems ridiculous to keep boxes of stuff that I never look at. On the other hand, letting go of those journals and books feels wrong! While I let go of some, I decided to keep many of the sentimental items for now. It helps me feel connected with my past even though I’m not rereading my old journals every week.
Beyond the big sentimental items, I also felt conflicted by small stuff: jewelry, trinkets, photos, and letters. Pam was instrumental in helping me process these little things. And it was easy to do via video chat! She helped me identify criteria for what to keep and helped me organize what to let go. Most importantly, it meant a lot to me that she was there as I reflected on the meaning of each item. It helped me honor my things to have a witness.
Things For Later
I also learned that my minimalist aspirations sometimes conflict with my efficiency and sustainability goals! For example, I discovered a pile of notebooks from my past that are only partially used. Although they are cumbersome, I decided to keep them for when I need to use a notebook. I may decide to recycle them in the future (Pam reminded me that I can always buy a new notebook if I need to) but for now, it felt right to keep things that I can actually see myself using in the future.
We Are Always Changing
This kind of decluttering and organizing can be done at any point. But often, periods of transition are the catalyst that motivates us to tackle such a project. Though it felt right to declutter before I packed, it also added a big project to my to-do list. When I started to feel overwhelmed was when I knew I needed help, and I turned to Pam.
I loved the idea of doing a big decluttering purge before my move so I could “start fresh” in my new space. And I’m happy with the progress I made! But now I realize that it makes more sense to declutter over time, rather than in one big go.
We are always changing, and what we use and love changes with us. I learned a lot about myself and my relationship with my things in the process of packing to move. Importantly, I learned that it’s okay to keep things that are meaningful even if they are not utilitarian or decorative. I also learned what a difference it makes to have someone to work with during the process of letting go.
My virtual decluttering session with Pam was a huge help. In just two hours she gave me new tools to keep decluttering on my own and validated the progress I already made. If you need support for your decluttering/organizing/packing project, or simply a little push to take the next step, I highly recommend trying a virtual session with Pam. It’s easy to coordinate and it can be as long (or short!) as you need. Try it here!
Discover more ways to mindfully declutter your home or office here! >>
Great post, I mean it! It took a really nice emotional turn that resonated a lot in me. I guess most of the time you keep things because of what they remind you but in reality, they do not give your life any value except for, well, taking the space of something better.
Thank you, Darryl! There’s certainly nothing “wrong” with keeping mementos to remind us of good times, but we find that many clients have more mementos packed away (where they forget about it!) than out, actively bringing smiles to their faces!
Hey Darryl! It’s Eva, the guest writer of this post. I agree with Pam; most of what she helped me let go were sentimental items that were packed away. I didn’t have them out to enjoy, so all they did was take up space! It felt hugely freeing to let them go.
It is such a hard and emotional process to declutter and throw away old stuff in your house.
James – you are absolutely right! It takes time and patience with oneself. We find that it really helps to be mindful while you do it, by acknowledging feelings, fears, old memories, and more. Are you going through such a process right now?