How do you know what to throw away when decluttering? Example, I have a Hookah that I haven't used in a year taking up space, but I might use it one day.
I am a Master Declutterer. Always have been, but aged 40 and with the accumulation of "the things of life" you get with a house and a mortgage, it came time to move on.I'm fairly ruthless in my decluttering; that is, if it's not inherently useful, it will probably go (the joy in things is reasonably fleeting, and most things - photos, books, etc) can be stored digitally these days which makes life much easier.I have come to develop one simple rule I call the "2:2 rule" that will make your decision making process easy:First 2: "Have I used this item in the last 2 years?" that gives you 2 complete cycles of the seasons; for example, if it's something like a tent, and it was a bad summer last year, and you like camping, you can keep it. If it's an orange jumper and you've not worn it for 3 years (because secretly, you don't really like it) it goes.Second 2: "Will I use this item in the next 2 months?". This is about as reasonably far as someone like myself can see into the future, or reasonably put off tasks to do, which gives myself time to use this item if I don't need it now, but think I might find use for it. If I'm going to only need it in a year, it's time to get rid of it, and I can worry about getting a new one then.There are of course a few things that you may allow by, such as family heirlooms, some treasured photos of your mum, tax returns, or stuff like that, and that's OK. You need to recognise what those things are, vs the things that actually bring you no value at all and are just functions of your misplaced psychological attachment.As mentioned, this is a pretty ruthless way of looking at things, so feel free to tailor the numbers, such as 3:3, or 2:6, however, do not cheat yourself out of decluttering by being soft - remember the rationale for the 2s - each one has a very good reason for being a 2 and not something else.One final reminder I have to keep myself sane, is to ask myself "what I would save if there was a fire?" (or a flood if that's too scary for you!). For me, it's my laptop, some clothes, and an awesome bag - pretty much what I would take if I go travelling - everything else is just fluff :)Oh, and a piece of bonus advice to keep you on the straight and narrow: DON'T accept new things into your life! That includes presents, freebies, ANYTHING. You don't need it, and 9 times out of 10 you will be happier without it.Good luck! Be ruthless. And go digital (I recommend WorkFlowy to both organise your thoughts and your life).
How do you downsize your kids' toy collection when they have too many?
I have three kids ages 8, 5 and 2, and they are all hoarders of crap… and toys, but really what’s the difference? And at all of their ages, they each hoard different types of crap: the 8 year old - drawings, so many drawings, the 5 year old - action figures and toy weapons *cringe*, the 2 year old - all the small pieces leftover from the hand me downs from the other two, oh, and all of the freaking stuffed animals - his crib looks like Noah’s ark for the plush set.I, on the other hand, am a minimalist and a neat freak and toys and junk (in my own house - I don’t care about other people’s houses) drive me NUTS. We already live in a small space with five people, so I am constantly getting rid of things. Here’s my best trick for getting rid of toys (especially right before Christmas and birthdays when they will likely accumulate more).Pick their 10 favorite things - DO NOT TOUCH THOSE THINGS.Everything that drives you nuts, is broken, or is no longer age appropriate, get rid of. Even if it’s big or noticeable, I swear most kids won’t notice, BOX IT UP.If you have the storage space (a garage will do), put everything you’ve boxed up where they won’t find it or see it for several days. HIDE IT GOOD!It is likely that over the next few weeks they’ll ask for some of the stuff you’ve removed, if so, if you’re willing to give it back to them, say “I’m not sure, I’ll look for it later”, then sneak out to the garage and get it, YOU’LL BE A HERO!After a few weeks - or however long you can tolerate piles of junk in your storage space - GET RID OF THE REST. I swear, if it’s been sitting out there for so long no one notices, then YOU DON’T NEED IT.Try to donate anything that’s in good condition or hand it down to friends and family, I definitely don’t advocate filling land fills with spoiled kids’ junk, but there is also something nice about eliminating the unnecessary.