The sun is back, the birds start singing and the mood goes up immensely. What a perfect time to crawl out from under the warm and cozy winter blanket and to tidy out your flat (and maybe even your life)...
It is impressive how we tend to fill up the space we have and almost always end up with chaotic cupboards and cramped corners, no matter the size of our apartment. Things are accumulating without us even noticing, up to a level where it simply gets too much, and we start feeling restricted in our own four walls.
TIME TO SORT THINGS OUT!
Throwing things out will bring a fresh breeze into your home and into your life at the same time. You will literally be throwing off a load and gain new energy that you can invest into rearranging and decorating your reclaimed territory. How you can get to this state of freedom and relief? There is nothing simpler than that...
1) Have I used it the past year?
When you start opening your wardrobe and looking at its content more closely, you will probably be surprised by all the things you own and especially how much of them you have simply forgotten. As a first analysis to get an impression of what is really necessary, you can ask yourself if you have used an item during the past 12 months and if you think you are going to use it in the 12 months to come.
Try to be honest, but don't be too strict either. Of course, there are things such as impregnation spray or sewing pins that you don't use very often, but it's always good to have them (provided you remember that you do). Just don't let yourself get caught in the dangerous thought that "it could be useful one day", maybe for your grandchildren (even though you don't have children of your own yet). Think of right now and what you need, otherwise you can start looking for an external warehouse right away.
2) In case of fire - what would I take?
I have to admit that this one sounds quite cruel, and of course I hope that this will never happen to any of you. Luckily, this is just an exercise to help you find out what really matters and what is of great importance to you. A lighter version could be: "What would I take along if I had to leave for a long journey and I only had one single suitcase?" You are going to be astonished by how little you actually need to survive and be happy.
Remember that there are a lot of things that you don't necessarily need to own yourself, but that you can always borrow from someone you know (your parents' raclette set, for example). Nowadays, there are even places that work like a library, but with any kind of stuff. So if you need a Polaroid camera for your wedding and you don't want to invest in something that you won't use more than once, check out if there is some sort of "Leihothek" nearby.
3) Is this item of sentimental value to me?
Have you ever heard of Marie Kondo? She invented and passed on a simple method to gain control over all your possessions and to make smart decisions whether to keep things or to rather part with them. All you need to do is take every single item into your hand and ask yourself the questions: "Does this enrich my life? Does it make me happy? Does it have a deeper meaning?" If the answer is "Yes", you should obviously better keep it. If the answer is a clear "No" and the item in question is not of any practical use either (see step 1), it won't be that hard to free yourself from it. In case of doubts (and believe me, they will be rather frequent), you can try the following:
4) How about "maybe"?
Don't worry, this is not a competition. Quite the contrary! It is supposed to make you feel good and relieved and to bring you joy during the process. You don't need to be too rigorous. Instead of having one pile for "yes-items" and one for "no-items", how about including a "maybe-box" for things where you are not 100% sure? You can put it in the basement after you're done and see if you miss any of the items after a few months or not. Just make sure to set a deadline, otherwise the things will be stored in the cellar forever, and that's not the aim of this whole thing.
Another way to not completely abandon things that are full of memories is to simply take a picture and create a dedicated folder on your external hard drive before giving the item away. Or you give it to someone you know. Like that, you make someone happy (provided they can actually put it to good use) and at the same time know where to find the item in case the longing gets too strong.
5) Keep it up!
Rome was not built in a single day either. Nobody is expecting you to throw out half of your stuff and become a minimalist, come hell or high water. Take this process as a possibility to grow and don't stress yourself if your "maybe-box" is bigger than you would like it to be. Maybe you need to go through all your cupboards twice before you find the strength to turn a skeptical "keep" into a convinced "throw".
What's most important is that you try to keep up your newly acquired freedom instead of cluttering up everything again as soon as you have enough space to do so. A good way to practice conscious consumption can be to throw out 2 items for each new one you purchase. Like that, you will consider carefully if you are only in buying mood or if it's really something you need. Of capital importance is that you are feeling comfortable with what you own and with how your apartment looks like. It does not have to be a flagship feng shui showroom, simply make it homey and give it your personal touch.