Decluttering life:
19 things you want to get rid of + free checklist
If you have ever traveled with a big backpack, you know how important it is, to not put too many things in your bag. And how important it is to properly place the heavy things in your bag. So you carry them on your hips, rather than on your shoulders. Living life as human can be pretty similar. We regularly have to decide what we want to carry with us; otherwise the weight on our shoulders becomes too heavy and we feel exhausted, depressed and tired all day, every day. However, it’s tricky to realize, that we carry a lot of weight from our past on our shoulders. But hold on! If you ask yourself how to get rid of clutter fast, here’s your remedy! Let’s free your mind and drop the emotional burden of clutter.
Jump to section
Your romantic life | the negative self-talk
Your living room | your keys
Your needs | your wants
Your office | your kitchen
Your friendships | resentment and unresolved anger
Your computer | your home’s floor
Harmful views of yourself | embarrassing moments
Your office | your clothes
Your bathroom | your smartphone
Your bookshelves | your car
#1 Declutter your romantic life
#2 Declutter the negative self-talk
Some of you can relate to the following situation:
You end your romantic relationship, whether it be open, casual, or a proper loving and caring relationship. Still, you meet from time to time to satisfy your emotional and sexual needs or because both of you cannot say goodbye. Deep inside, you actually know that this relationship corrupts you and your chances for future relationships. It’s time to stop this odyssey and give yourself the permission to close the chapter. Make the goodbye final and look forward to new beginnings.
All of us do have negative conversations with ourselves. Some more, others less. Critical is, that we resolve the reasons for that kind of self-talk from time to time.
Otherwise we accumulate destructive thoughts, which can cost us a lot of mental capacity and joyful moments.
#3 Declutter your living room
#4 Declutter your keys
Once I had this beauty of a lemon tree in my living room, right in front of the bed. But someday the tree started to die, because of my mistreat. Ultimately, I’ve found myself waking up every day next to a dead tree. In the beginning I didn’t realize what it did with me. But after a while, I have noticed that waking up with such a depressing view made me kind of sad. Check your living room on a regular base for things, that actually don’t serve you anymore. Old pictures of your ex-partner, trash, unnecessary furniture or decoration, the full ashtray you wanted to get rid of since a while already. Make sure, that there are things in your environment that inspire and lift you up. You could substitute that slippery carpet with a painting on the wall, or throw it out at all.
#5 Declutter your needs
#6 Declutter your wants
What are our needs? These are biological factors, we are born with. No matter what your education is or how you got raised. The urge to fulfill biological needs is the same for everybody. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, we have as first priority psychological needs, like sleep, water or shelter. If we were able to fulfill these basic needs, only then we are able to focus on the next step of the hierarchy, which are our safety needs. These can be health security, or a safe environment. Read into the pyramid of needs here.
It is critical to realize in which stage of this hierarchy you are currently. There is a lot of confusion going on with people, who try to satisfy needs, which are not important in their lives at time. This leads to the feeling, that you seemingly “have everything”, but you still feel unfulfilled, because your need for deep and trusting connections is unsatisfied.
In comparison to your needs, if you don’t fulfill your wants, it doesn’t decrease your ability to survive. As the British writer C.S. Lewis famously stated, that “wants have no survival value; rather it is one of the big things, which gives value to our survival.” Having a place with roof to live in, is our very need for survival. Equipping the apartment with cozy Moroccan furniture is a want, because without it, we still can live in it.
Other examples of wants are:
-> A car
-> Luxurious holidays
-> a duck in your garden
-> an instrument
Declutter your needs and wants. They are not the same. If you know what’s really important in your life and what’s merely a want, you make huge headway towards a fulfilled life.
Did you know?
You actually don’t have a choice. We are biologically bound to give priority to our needs in the correct order. No matter how many wants you have and make them come true: The needs will always ace the wants. No matter what.
#7 declutter your office
#8 Declutter your kitchen
Yes, there is actually not much explanation needed.
Get’ rid of old sheets, put them in folders, digitalize your processes and create clarity with proper named folders and files. Give away unnecessary decoration and that dusty pen holder. Throw away that dead plant or try to revive it with branches. Nobody likes dead things. Your office should be a place of inspiration, effectivity, efficiency, focus and clarity.
The more time you safe with your excellent organization and automation, the more time you win for other events in your life. Or would you like to exchange anger and frustration for leisure and the time with your family?
Time to throw out duplicates and unneeded kitchen tools. The big pot or pan, that always blocks to open the drawer or close it fully. The chair, that is never in use, or the way too many plates and glasses.
Keeping the working area in order and the tools you need the most nearby, will help you with making great decisions in the kitchen.
The kitchen is the shrine for your physical health. Treat it like that.
#9 Declutter your friendships
#10 Declutter resentment and unresolved anger
Gosh, do you know that feeling to have people in your life, where long ago you realized already, that both of you drifted apart? You don’t have common interests anymore, or this friend tries to pull you down? Make the decision and have a chat with them about your common future.
If you don’t find yourself having a future with this person anymore, have the courage and make a cut. It’s the circle of life that some join our journey and others have to say goodbye.
Once I had a period in my life with a lot of conflict and anger towards others. Some of it was justified. Some were unnecessarily created by myself.
Shannon Alder stated that “anger, resentment and jealousy doesn’t change the heart of others. It only changes your heart”. The only thing you really do with resent and anger is to corrupt your own mind. Forgive those people and yourself. Move on to a future of fulfillment and serenity.
#11 declutter your computer
#12 Declutter your home's floor
Have you seen those screens with dozens of mixed icons, consisting of old photos, software, documents, or excel sheets? If you have to smirk now, then this number is for you. It’s always a pain to watch people searching for their documents and yes, they are on the desktop, somewhere. But if you add up all the seconds and minutes you are searching for something, you will be surprised by how much time is wasted.
One of my favorites in terms of clutter at home. Why? Because clutter on the floor is the biggest factor to make cleaning easy or not.
If you have to move many things around before you can get started, it becomes so much harder to clean the floor and make it enjoyable.
#13 declutter harmful views of yourself
#14 Declutter embarrassing moments
Our self-image is not created from one day to another. We put together little puzzle pieces about ourselves. Sometimes pieces actually don’t fit, but with harmful views we put together the pieces with force, which form a completely wrong picture of ourselves.
We have to recognize those wrong pieces and declutter them from time to time.
Once I was waiting at the Taiwanese immigration center and next to me sat a truly attractive lady. We started to have a chat and after a while she asked for my number. As I took out my phone to tell her my number, she responded quickly with “no, I mean the number of your ticket for the queue Kevin. I took the emergency exit to escape the building… just kidding. All of us collect embarrassing memories which can haunt us for decades or our lifetime. All we can do is to accept, that nobody is perfect and take these little moments with humor. It rarely helps, that you punish yourself every time you think back of these moments.
#15 declutter your office
#16 Declutter your Clothes
Yes, there is actually not much explanation needed. Get’ rid of old sheets, put them in folders, digitalize your processes and create clarity with proper named folders and files. Give away unnecessary decoration and that dusty pen holder. Throw away that dead plant or try to revive it with branches. Nobody likes dead things. Your office should be a place of inspiration, focus and clarity.
Yes, it’s a controversial topic, but you know exactly what to do. Shoes that have not been in use for the past 5 years, dozens of shirts, skirts, hats, beanies, socks, underwear, jeans or sweaters. Get rid of them and keep only the ones you actually have in use. Alternatively, you can store them in boxes in your storage room and if you didn’t use them once after one year, you give it away to charity associations.
Did you know?
Research has shown, that the environment you live in, is a mirror of your mental health and preferences. Depending on how your home looks like, it’s possible to partially determine your personality and mental health.
#17 declutter your Bathroom
#18 Declutter your Smartphone
Old toothpastes, toothbrushes, empty plastic bottles, old razors, little hygiene products that fly around in your drawers and shelves since decades.
It’s time to get rid’ of it.
Even if we know where our apps are placed, we always have to check their locations. It’s recommendable to put your top 5 apps on the first screen and declutter the rest from time to time.
Your pictures will also be happy if you secure them on another hard drive than your phone.
#19 Declutter your Bookshelves
#20 Declutter your car
Yes, we love them, but too often our bookshelves are overloaded by books we did read only once. Create space for new books by giving away old ones. Maybe there is somebody in your life, that could need a specific book right now.
The car is no space for clutter, old jackets, food packages, bottles. All of that should be stored in the trunk… just kidding! Get it out and create joy when you enter your car. Nobody likes to sit in a car full of things.