Buongiorno!
I love organizing, decluttering and simplifying things in my life where possible both for the physical benefits of having a clean space and the mental clarity and comfort it brings.
In the last couple months I’ve found a few more ways to clean things up and this has brought me a lot of peace. I wanted to share with you all my ideas and tips for doing the same. 🙂
I wrote a soul food post a few months back about the benefits of cleaning and how there is a strong energetic component to it. Simplifying and decluttering is always a great idea on all levels: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.
1. The digital declutter
This is a BIG source of clutter that I really had not spent much time on until about two months ago. I hit capacity on my computer and I didn’t understand how that could be until I was forced to take a closer look inside.
I think I may be really late to the party on discovering this one, so forgive me my computer-savvy readers, but my downloads folder of my computer was just full of random, needless things. I spent a long time cleaning out this area of my laptop and making folders to organize the remaining important files. I also really delved into my photos and got rid of a lot of old things that didn’t serve me anymore.
But the real question is how can anyone get anything done with this little snuggle bug napping next to you?
Then, as an extra ambitious organizer, I started saving my valuable older photos and videos to my external hard drive. This clean out felt like a massive closet cleaning for my digital space! I couldn’t believe I was holding all that extra junk and now it brings me a lot of peace to know that I’m not holding that clutter any longer. I’m still working on doing the same for my phone now…
2. The mental declutter
This is something I’ve mentioned a few times on my blog but my quickest/easiest/most effective trick for decluttering my mind is breathing. Deep breaths always calm the body instantly and bring peace and clarity to our minds, but there’s also a particular exercise that I do that works wonderfully. I breathe in for a certain count (let’s say four for this example), hold this breath for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold after the exhale for four counts. So it makes a kind of square (four sides of holding the count) of breathing.
I really can’t say enough about this little easy trick. I try to do it whenever possible — on the train, in the morning, in the shower. It really just takes my racing thoughts down and relaxes my mind and body.
3. The physical declutter
Always a good one — the actual giving away and throwing away of things that no longer serve a purpose in your life is an instant weight off. I’m someone who tends to feel a little overwhelmed when I have too many things, so I regularly toss and give away items like clothes and shoes. Lately I’ve been cleaning out my makeup supply too which can slowly but surely become a serious source of clutter.
My rule is if I have not worn or used something in one year, I probably will not ever.
All three of these clean-outs are awesome (and free!) ways to create instant peace!
Simplifying your space is a great thing to do for the energy flow of your space which directly affects your mood. What do you guys do to declutter? I’m always looking for new ways to clean up and clean out — on all levels!
Alla prossima,
Amanda <3
Beautiful!
And as far as physical decluttering goes, why not turn it into a mitzvah (good deed) and donate unwanted items to charity?
Keep the great posts coming!
Author
Oh yeah I give bags and bags regularly to charities. I can’t throw away clothes in good shape 😊
Great 👍
Great article 🙁 🙁
All these tips are great, especially with the new year in mind!
xx,
Daeyz
http://www.daeyz.com
Author
thank you! 🙂
We have a couple of charities in our area that pick up from your home, so it saves me the step and hassle of having donations ride around in my car for a week or two. It is so freeing to let things go that are no longer helping us in our lives, and this is such a great time of year for it because we are more housebound by the weather.
Author
Wow that’s awesome that they pick up from your home, so easy. Great word, “freeing.” It really is.
Interesting post!!
xx
Mónica Sors
MES VOYAGES À PARIS
NEW POST: MY STYLE FOR A SHOPPING DAY (WITH HIM)
Thanks for posting. I’m going through a simplification process myself and posting about it (www.behealedandwhole.com) It helps with me accountability. I’m mostly focusing on different aspects of our lives that need simplification but need to add more “how to” like you just did. May I reblog this on my site?
Author
Hi! Thank you, yes of course you can reblog my post. 🙂
Awesome to read! The digital clutter on a computer–isn’t it crazy how quickly we can fill it without realizing!? Thank goodness for external hard drives!!
Some great tips here, thanks!!
Author
I know! Opened up a whole new world to organize haha. Thank you!
A physical declutter I do every so often is my kitchen. There are tools, spices, cups, etc. that get pushed to the back of cabinets. I try to come up with ways to use them or give them away. An interesting side affect is that my allergies go down since my spices are put into more airtight containers and the shelves are wiped clean of any lingering powder.
Author
Oh awesome! That’s even another reason to clean it out right? There’s always enough to organize in the kitchen haha 😊
I generally do a large declutter twice a year and give away bags and bags to charities. I’m actually really good with this part because mess kinda irks me especially if I know it’s not there to serve me good anymore because I don’t use it.
I’m a bit less dedicated to digital decluttering but I definitely agree that everyone needs to do this! Sometimes I do switch off my phone however. Since I got a new laptop, I also organise everything in folders and have backup on a usb stick or hard drive 🙂
Author
Nice! Sounds like you’re pretty on top of things! Mess irks me too I love nothing more than throwing things out and giving away what is still in good condition. 😊
This is such a good post! Love the tips x
Author
Thank you!! 😊
Reblogged this on Remarkable Beauty and commented:
For a while I’ve been decluttering. E-mail is a beast. Not to mention the never-ending supply of any kind of paper. There has been a lot of sorting and shredding. I rip off addresses from my junk mail and throw it out immediately.
Author
Thank you lovely <3 yes love cleaning out my email subscriptions too. Big source of clutter.
Really enjoyed this post! I became obsessed with Marie Kondo’s book ‘The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up’ last year, and started my physical decluttering. Still have a way to go, but definitely made a couple steps in the right direction. I’d also definitely recommend the read if you get the chance – the book offers some great tips for the order in which you should declutter, and also helps you to decide when you should choose to discard something (whether that’s to charity, reselling the item, or throwing it in the bin). Anyhow, thanks again – I enjoyed your post 🙂
Yes! I love decluttering all aspects of life!
Yes! These tips are so important and helpful
Author
Thank you!!
Great post! I absolutely agree with your rule . If you haven’t worn or used certain things for a year, chances are you’ll never ever wear them. 😉I feel as though decluttering on a physical aspect definitely affects other aspects as well. I’m still working towards decluttering my emails & contacts list on my phone. If I haven’t spoken to a contact for a year or more, it might be time to add more space 😊. Thanks for the tips.
Author
I totally agree! Yes finding a new place to declutter (the technology stuff) feels SO good! 🙂
I LOVE the feeling I get after decluttering a space. The mental and digital components you pointed out are also important, and I think most of us forget to clean those spaces every once in a while. Thanks for the great post, as always!
Author
Thank you so much!! <3 Yeah I found the computer files (better late than never ha!) and had to share because it felt so good to clean out that space too!
Cleaning out physical objects and clothing always gives me such peace of mind!
Author
I completely agree! Feels so good!
Hi there! I’ve nominated you for the blogger recognition award, your blog is great!
https://talkmakeuptome.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/blogger-recognition-award/
Don’t worry about having to write a post on it, just wanted to let you know x
Author
Thank you so much!! That’s so kind of you, I really appreciate it 🙂
Love, love, love the message and everything about the blog! Definitely an inspiration to me. Keep it up! xx
Author
Thank you so much!! I’m so happy you are enjoying my blog 🙂
So much agree! https://inesepogalifeschool.com/
Hey sweetie, I LOVE this post!! You’re so right about how decluttering and cleaning can change the energy of a place, now I want to clean up! haha
Also, I nominated your blog for an award because I just love it<3
https://pinotandpeeptoes.wordpress.com/2017/01/20/tgif-blogger-recognition-award/
Author
Thank you so much girl! ❤❤
You’re welcome love:)
I’ve been reading so much about Minimalism lately! Meditation has been a great addition to my routine.
Author
Soo wonderful! I have a post in the works on meditation actually! 😊