My Own Order: The Art of Separating Things from Memories

Decluttering Tips from a 10 – times-experienced Mover

Introduction

I have relocated 10 times in the past 9 years. While this might not seem like much to some, it has given me valuable experience in discerning what possessions truly matter. Many people grapple with clutter and become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of their belongings. The stress of moving can compound this anxiety.

Thankfully, by following a few straightforward steps, you can streamline the process of parting with your old items and focus on retaining only what truly serves you.

So, it’s time to move. When it comes to decluttering and relocating, many of us share similar sentiments and anxieties.

We all struggle with the idea that we need to let go of things and start fresh in a new place. As wild ducks do – naturally and easily.

And when we look around, we see literally kilograms of our own proof of years of living on that planet as a human being and get some extra portion of anxiety.

But let’s take a closer look at all your possessions. Are they necessary, regularly worn, or frequently used throughout the day/week/month/year?

Phase 1. The Art of Sorting

The first step to having a clear mind is to systematize everything you have in storage.

Go through your household and look around: clothes for all seasons, books, written notebooks from the school times, towels and bed covers, kitchen equipment, boxes inside boxes with “small pieces of old times”. Papers, more papers, dated bank statements, overdue and important documents. Cables, and chargers for devices of all types and epochs.

Ok, now take a deep breath and start acting.

Choose a space in your house to be a place, where you can put several boxes to sort all the stuff out. Just non-much-intellectual sorting by type.

The magic of sorting is in touching and indicating every piece you have around.

You take an old cable and move it to a bunch of cables.

You have a stack of t-shirts and some of them have holes, but they have meaningful sentences printed on them or keep the spots of “The Day” from years ago.

Try not to be emotional, just sort by type for now – you don’t have to decide anything at this stage.

Phase 2. Assigning a Purpose to Each Item

The hardest step, actually. You have to decide which piece of each bunch of items to keep, which to give away, and which must be marked as trash to recycle.

Remember, first off, getting rid of old belongings can help clear your mind for a change in scenery.

You don’t want to bring along all those memories from your past when you move somewhere new — it’ll just weigh you down, keep in mind that simple idea.

On the other hand, the main pain but at the same time the greatest skill is not to trash something that you may actually need in the feature.

For the clothes, for example, I named the Rule of Noah — keep a pair of each piece of clothing you may have for each season.

For example, you sorted a stack of hoodies. But actually, one of them you bought online at 2 AM on a Friday and did not notice that the size was XXS instead of M but when received you were too busy to send it back and just kept it and never put it on.

The other one has a huge awkward hood which you hate and so on with others.

Now you see that you have only 3 hoodies out of your 7 that you need and wear.

All the rest can be donated or trashed.

So, this process of choosing will give you moments to get creative with what items stay or go.

This is especially true if there are sentimental objects involved — you may not want them gone forever, but perhaps storing them elsewhere could provide some much-needed space for something else entirely.

Donating is a great way to give back while decluttering — many thrift stores accept gently used items in good condition such as clothing, furniture, and electronics that someone else could use.

You can also find local charities who will pick up larger donations from your home if needed!

If donating isn’t an option for certain items (or if it just doesn’t feel right), try selling them online or hosting a yard or doing an online garage sale instead — this is great for older pieces like furniture, books, antiques which may be more valuable than other household goods.

You have to decide which items have a cost and do some research by checking the price of the similar selling pieces.

Always count the age and condition of your item to compare the prices and make a good price to find the right buyer faster.

Additionally, most cities offer free curbside pickup services where they will come directly to collect any large junk items like appliances or mattresses, so no need to worry about transporting them yourself.

Don’t forget about recycling options too — many communities have drop-off centers where people can bring recyclable materials such as paper products and plastics, which helps reduce waste going into landfills while helping out the environment too :)

Getting rid of old stuff doesn’t have to be overwhelming when done correctly.

Phase 3. Cultivating New Habits

Always reflect on how you organize and maintain the belongings that remain in your life.

And Consider the significance of each item before acquiring new possessions.

Ask yourself whether you genuinely need a specific item, how it will fit into your future plans, and whether it warrants the effort of moving with you.

In my case, the hardest part of decluttering was saying goodbye to books.

Embracing change can unlock countless opportunities previously hindered by clutter, both in your physical space and your mindset.

Whether pursuing new hobbies or exploring different career paths, a decluttered life can open doors to personal growth and uncharted horizons, seriously.

So, today I have only 2 large pieces of luggage with some clothes for each session, footwear, art supplies, favorite books, and a pack of old photos, which I plan to digitalize to keep in the clouds.

In conclusion

Take a deep breath and before the start keep in mind that decluttering isn’t about saying goodbye to your past; it’s about creating space for a brighter and more purposeful future in a new place.

Happy decluttering and exciting moving forward, everyone!