How Much to Keep When Decluttering
This is a frequently asked question that comes up when clients are decluttering items in their homes. I’m not certain where this comes from, but I have a theory.
It comes down to the desire to do things the right way. We want confirmation that we got it right or we like the validation that we’re headed in the right direction. All this makes sense, except that when it comes to tidying up, this is a very individual and personal journey.
I can give you a rigid rule that says you can only have 1 spatula and one for a backup and that’s it. But that’s not how you want to live. It doesn’t feel good for me to prescribe rules for you about how you must live.
Throw out the rules
What is too much for one person may not be enough for another and vice versa. That’s why I’m going to share the one and only rule when it comes to how much to keep when decluttering.
Get ready because it’s good!
The rule is that there aren’t any.
I can share guidelines, but there is no rule here. Let’s lean into that and embrace it however uncomfortable that makes you feel.
The honest truth is that rigidity in the tidying process can do more harm than good.
And while the rules-based personalities like to have a benchmark for the tidying journey, take this as an opportunity to be free from rules.
Consider how you live and how you want to live
Let your current lifestyle drive the way and define what is enough for you in your life. Or if you aren’t satisfied with how you live now, consider what you want to change to.
Would it be reasonable to criticize someone for owning 10 yoga pants and say it’s excessive? Well it depends.
What if that individual has a morning yoga practice and an evening yoga practice. Let’s further suppose that they do this five days a week and only do laundry once a week. If I’ve got the math right, they might want to have 10 pairs of yoga pants for the 10 times they practice yoga in a given week. Who am I or you to judge this preference in their life?
And what about this example? Can you say that it’s excessive to own 8 cars in one household? What if that household had 8 adult drivers? Would it be acceptable then?
The number only has meaning to a specific individual based on their lifestyle and how they want and choose to live.
On the flip side, if you have an iron and never use an iron for any purpose what-so-ever, then having one in your home is actually one too many. I think you get the point that I’m making with these three examples.
Let time tell what is enough
As a far more extreme and less popular option, you can try a packing party.
Use tidying up as an excuse to have a party and pack up literally everything you own and put it into a storage cube. There is a rule with the packing party and it is that you can only remove something from the packing cube if you legitimately need it for your daily life.
This is one approach that Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists did when he was embarking on his minimalism journey.
The surprising result was that he realized he didn’t need all that stuff, or all the duplicates.
There were very few items that he needed and that started his journey to be free from stuff and attachments.
If you attempt something like this you really have to be honest with yourself and commit to the process.
Through this process time will tell you what you actually need and use on a daily basis. You might even be surprised to learn that the pain of digging the item out of the packing cube is worse then going without the item.
Leave room for fluidity
One thing I love about the Konmari method is that the principles of the method ebb and flow with me as I shape shift in life. Who you are in your twenties may not mirror who you are in your forties.
And that’s okay and expected.
As we grow and mature and evolve as human beings our preferences, likes and dislikes will also shift and change. That’s why leading with a joy filter in our tidying journeys stands the test of time.
This also applies for how much to keep when decluttering. Lead with joy and give yourself the freedom to decide in a way that feels good for you.
The number you land on is free flowing. What is enough today may not be enough tomorrow. Give yourself that freedom as you navigate your tidying journey.
Conclusion
Decluttering is hard enough.
Let’s not make it more challenging by adding rules that simply don’t apply. So long as you are being honest with yourself, confronting your items through a filter and lens of joy, you are well on your way to living the tidy and organized life that you want.
The question is less about how much to keep when decluttering, but what kind of life do you want to support?
To help your journey along, be sure to grab my free tidying checklist so that you have some guidance and structure with getting organized. Click on the link below to grab your copy!
Southern California based Professional Organizer, Sandy Park, owner and founder of Tidy with SPARK shares her joy of organization with her clients.
She serves clients in Orange County as well as the hundreds of thousands of followers on her combined social media platforms.
Connect with Sandy through her website or by connecting through her social channels.