As time becomes more precious to me, and as the news and state of the world seems more stressful and oppressive, I am trying to do what I can in my own world to free up time, space and energy for JOY.
Lately, I've been on a mission to rid myself of clutter across the board. I'm unsubscribing from e-mail lists, deleting lots of old emails, clearing search engine bookmarks and my photos in iCloud, sorting piles of paperwork, clothing, housewares, and even sifting through outdated make up, medicines, and food I stockpiled during the pandemic.
Besides being in the stage of life where we turn to letting go, the tiny house craze and Marie Kondo certainly "sparked" a resurgence of minimalism and decluttering. Many are also trying to do their part for the planet by consuming less and recycling more - which includes repairing what they have, giving things away so others can use them and buying formerly loved items on Ebay, yard sales and at thrift stores instead of new.
But I caution those on a tossing roll to not get so swept up that they forever rid themselves of items of sentiment or personal creation that matter. In time these things may really be important to your 90 year old self or will mean everything to your kids, grandkids... or anyone special to you who would want to have that part of you. Or even to a stranger... like me!
One of my favorite pastimes was scouring my grandmother's attic to find a wartime letter, notes in an ancient cookbook, let alone a diary. Even the most mundane notes or photographs can be fascinating to someone 100 years later. I am drawn to buying books compiling such notes, from famous artists and writers, to a sea captain's widow and the diary entires of the women who crossed the country in wagons in the 1800's. Reading things like "Got over the ridge. Buried grandma. Kept on."' are FASCINATING to me now, but back then, those writing it could easily wonder who would ever care.
A writer friend of mine is decluttering but wisely paused when facing a large collection of her notebooks. She asked on our Facebook writers page, "Do I toss it all and start with my new life and new ideas? Or do I find a way to salvage some great pieces that are likely peppered throughout?"
The below was my answer, which got a positive response, so I thought might be helpful to others. Just change the words specific to a notebook/journal and instead apply it to your files, drawers, drawings, photos, baby mementos, school assignments, archival clothes, cards from your kids, past loves, or BFF's.
There are things to throw away, and things not to when decluttering, and I happen to think your notebooks are the latter. There's treasure within! If you need a method to make getting through them surmountable, rescue so you can release the rest, there are a few ways you could do it.
If they’re dated, you could start by sorting them into chronological order while watching TV, or listening to music.
Then, take one at a time, flip through to find what you want to save and: 1. Tear the page(s) out OR snap pics of the pages OR Scan them on an easy phone app like Turbo scan. The last two allow you to store digitally, and toss the paper versions.
TIP: Choose times of the day when you're at your sharpest to do this. For me, it would be in the morning when I’m fresh, sitting with a cup of coffee. And it can be done in sane, bite-size pieces… Go through one notebook every couple of days if it's too daunting, more if not.
Have SUPPLIES ready to organize them so you’ll feel great about the end result, not overwhelmed with a new, albeit smaller mess. This makes a huge difference!
1. New manila file folders, labeled (in pencil) per year or topic
2. Scissors
3. Stapler (if you tear out a 2+ pg entry, definitely staple together from the get go)
4. Post it notes (awesome to scribble the basic topic and stick on for easy ID)
5. Big garbage basket to gleefully toss what's done
6. Big box or bag for donating what you can
7. Your phone, for using voice memos (or blank paper) in case new ideas or additional thoughts are sparked as you go!
At the end, VOILA! You will have folders for each year or topic with stapled and notated entries, which are now easy to identify, which will make it a lot easier to find your ideas in the future! If you scanned things, you can store it all in digital file folders on your device, but I'd suggest you also back up on the cloud as well as an external thumb drive. You can now get then with 256G capacity. What a miracle!
TIP: You will get more done doing 20 minutes of this almost every day than you would waiting for the perfect time window or circumstances (IE: wishing 'If only I had a long weekend to dive in and get it all done).
The idea of decluttering conjures a desire to get it DONE. That is a good thing. I'm just encourage you to pause when you hit piles of what's meaningful to consider their inherent value --if not now, in the future. Prepare for this and agree with yourself that of course, some may not go so fast, like baby photos or a lost loved one's possessions. It’s easy to go down memory lane, so allow mental room on the value of that. Cherish it as a journey you take as you go, one step at a time.
Just create some balance between getting hung up for an hour on one photo album or closet and nudging yourself to continue progressing. Lastly, if you really can't decide, better to set it aside, and commit to asking a trusted friend what you should do with it (even if you do it on FaceTime!). And don't let this be a stumbling block. It will happen with some items. But that's all it is - feel satisfaction for all the progress you are making.
I think we fear that in stopping to consider each item we will lose momentum or never end up throwing anything out. But that's not true! There is PLENTY to get rid of that isn't sentimental, ie: the junk drawer, dried up pens, receipts and coupons from forever ago. There is also motivation to be found in the thought that you will be donating items so someone else who really can use it would benefit - like clothes that don't make you look or feel great, books, cassettes/cd's/dvd's, games and housewares. Visualizing that when I'm on the fence spurs me say goodbye to it with a good feeling!
So when it comes to deciding about the truly meaningful, take the time you need! It enriches your life to reflect back on what you've lived so far. Reminders of the places you've been, who you have loved, what you have lost, and what lessons you learned sets you up for what you want to do next with the time and space you are freeing up -- a rarely mentioned bonus to decluttering!
Have you gone through this process? Please share your tips in the comments!
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