My oldest is a busy mom with twin seven-year-olds and a five-year-old. She’s not a clutter-bug, but family life gets messy. The other day she texted, “My room is almost clean! It’s been two months since it felt orderly in here… now I don’t even mind my bedding as much. Isn’t that funny? I kept thinking ‘if only I got new bedding, I’d enjoy my room more.’ But really it just needed tidying!”
In Fumio Sasaki’s book, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism he says that every item in our house is sending out a silent message. Starting out as a “maximalist” he was never able to keep his apartment tidy. In his journey to minimalism, he discovered that “each material thing has the usefulness of having it around and the inconvenience of having to maintain it.”
“If you weigh them both,” says Sasaki, “and find that the inconvenience is winning…it’s time to start giving decluttering a serious thought.”
Look around your home. Listen. What silent messages do hear from your rooms and belongings? Is your stack of magazines guilting you because you haven't read them? Are the clothes you can’t fit into taunting you? Is the pile of decorative pillows on the floor calling out to be arranged on the bed? Is your clutter saying you need to remodel, when the real message is you need to declutter?
To achieve peace and productivity, reduce the negative messaging. Consider Sasaki’s approach, listening to and weighing the value of your belongings, as you review these Timely Tips.
Timely Tips from Silent Messaging
Gadgets: “Fixes almost anything in 4 seconds!” “Lasts hours without power!” “Instant pain relief!” “The must-have gift of 2021!” Gadgets make great claims. Electronic, kitchen, yard, therapy, personal care, pet care, travel, recreational… and the list goes on. I remember when my Salad Spinner lost the usefulness verses inconvenience challenge. It took a lot of space, I washed it by hand, and it didn’t always work well. If your gadget’s usefulness doesn’t live up to its promise—let it go.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels
Entertainment: DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, and cassettes (yes, some of you have those). If they’re telling you they’re useful, but you never use them, they’re lying. Many households are streaming movies and music. Maintaining space for the old formats is costly. Let them go.
Home movies, however, send a unique message. “I’m irreplaceable.” Transfer old home movie formats, to DVDs and/or flash drives. The sooner the better to maintain their quality. Costco, Walgreens, Legacybox.com, and Southtree.com are a few companies that do that.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels
Consumables: Cleaning products, make-up, hair products, etc. How many half-full, unused bottles and cans are clogging up your cabinets and countertops? What are they saying? “You might use me someday.” “I was expensive.” Ask yourself, “Is the inconvenience of having them outweighing their usefulness?” If you’re not using them, the answer is most likely, yes—even if they were expensive.
Photo by Skylar Kang from Pexels
Collections: Whether it’s a collection of magazines, salt and pepper shakers, Barbies, or movie memorabilia, it all consumes space. What are your collections saying? “You treasure me.” “I might become valuable someday.” “You’ll regret letting me go.” Rather than considering your collection’s usefulness vs. inconvenience, weigh whether or not you enjoy it, or it’s become just one more thing to store and dust. If you do love it, but it’s taking up space you don’t have to spare, consider keeping a small sampling and selling or donating the rest. If you don’t love it, don’t let it take up space based on its value claims. Do your homework. Check with experts online or in stores that carry similar items. Let it prove its value with dollars in your hand.
Wise Words
“When you’re aware of all the things that you own, you’re not only certain of where they are, you’re also sure about whether you have them or not.” --Fumio Sasaki