A few weeks ago, one of my patients who is also a doctor came in for a physical. As I was asking about drinking (drinking has gone up quite a bit during the pandemic), he said something I found quite interesting: At the end of this pandemic, people are either going to be a lot healthier [exercising more and eating better] or much unhealthier [substance use and exercising less]. He is totally right.
One year ago, I returned to the office after a meeting (one I attended remotely because of concerns about this new virus out of Wuhan) to a new hospital, one preparing for an onslaught of very ill people with a disease we might catch and die from. Stay at home orders had been issued. It was the real beginning of the pandemic for me.
I did a little more drinking last Spring, to be sure, but as I spent more time at home, I looked around and decided it was really time to deal with the messes I had been ignoring as I rushed to work each day.
I won’t say that my house is ready to be featured in House Beautiful, but I have definitely made progress in clearing excess material from my home office. I flatter myself to think I have inspired Mr. PiN as well, as he has been clearing out other rooms in the house.
As the time for Spring cleaning rolls around again, I thought I would share some of the posts that really spoke to me as I worked (and continue to work) on making my home a more comfortable place to live in.
This article, How to Get Rid of Stuff, from Next Avenue, talks about seniors feeling like they have too much stuff. Also about some of the barriers to reducing possessions, and how, at some point, the goal is just to ‘get rid of’ their things.
Lisa, at A Lawyer and Her Money, makes a persuasive argument in describing How Minimalism Helps Us Live a Meaningful Life. I can think of a few times in my life when I made some major decisions based on whether I could bring my ‘stuff’ with me or not.
Joshua Becker at Becoming Minimalist asks us to change the questions we ask as we consider removing items from our life. I love the next to last transformation: What [material items] am I removing from my life? can become What [time, peace, attention to loved ones] am I adding?
This Love Letter to My Stuff was a somewhat lighthearted look–with bittersweet lessons–at decluttering. I am so glad I didn’t have to sell my stuff to make ends meet; but the freedom I feel with clearing items out of the house! I hope I can get some of the mental space back that was so clearly hogged by Stuff, much as the author does.
Once you clear out your space, then comes the struggle to keep it cleared. You will need to read these 2 posts on keeping new items from invading your home: from The Lifestyle Files, Decluttering Questions You Need To Ask Besides “Does It Spark Joy?”, and from 365LessThings (a great site to binge on whilst working on decluttering), The Seven Deadly Sins.
For the finale, Ann Patchett beautifully illustrates her experience with decluttering. From The New Yorker: How to Practice.