Declutter for 2014

Image via, Editing done by me

I was reading The Nectar Collective's post on 8 Natural Ways to Boost Your Happiness and found myself so drawn to #5: De-clutter. The new year is coming. Yet I look around and often feel so burdened by stuff.

I had this same feeling when I came back from my missions trip in Nepal. De-cluttering was how I dealt with the reverse culture shock of being back in the US. I came back to a house full of beautiful expensive things, yet I just left a village where the Pastor's family gave up their own food, beds and were willing to buy a goat for us. Those small gestures seem like nothing, but to them it meant everything. 

I came back from my trip as well as my conference and felt so burdened. So heartbroken for the Nepali people and their country. The hopelessness that so many people deal with. The lack of Christ in so many of those people. So to cope with my new found heart break, I cleaned.

I went through possibly every valuable I owned, packed up 5 huge boxes for Goodwill and felt a huge burden lifted. 

I felt rejuvenated. Renewed. A sense of peace overcame me. 

De-cluttering is good. 

It creates a sense of peace. It eases the mind. It makes you feel productive. It is like a cleanse of your belongings. It helps you live simply. 

With the new year quickly approaching, I encourage you to look around. Get rid of a few things. Clean through those computer files. Organize your bookshelf. Just purge yourself of all the extra stuff, hence purging your mind.

My Tips:

1. Start off small.
Even a 15 minute cleaning project is better than no project

2. Ladies, work on that closet.
That is where I find the majority of my extra stuff accumulating. No one needs 5 pairs of black flats or 4 white T-Shirts. Work on finding your key staple pieces and going from there. Realize you have very few key staples? Get rid of 5 useless items and I believe you have just given yourself the excuse to invest in one of those staple items.

3. Go through one cabinet in your Kitchen.
Trust me, there are some gadgets that could use a better home there. For me it is mugs. I have piles of mugs that could use a better home on a goodwill shelf.

4. Go in with an open heart.
Be willing to realistically look at the things you own and say "do I use this? Will I use this?" Sometimes de-cluttering is hard. We are all burdened with materialism. It is ok to find it hard to let go of your stuff. Just remind yourself your identity is not in that pile of National Geographic's you cannot bring yourself to scrap.

5. You cannot give up everything.
There are some things you just cannot give up quite yet. For me its my endless amount of scrap booking supplies. Just organize it and accept that you will hold on to it for while.

6. Make Goals
You cannot go into any task without goals. Strive to pack up at least 1 box for Goodwill this weekend. Get rid of the first 10 things you see that you do not need. Be realistic with your goals, but do create them.

Use this time as a chance to start out fresh. Allow yourself to feel renewed. Take the time to purge.

Strive to live simply in 2014.

"Live simply so others may simply live" - Gandhi

Alyssa