Article by: All Purpose Clean Up
Decluttering your house is usually easier said than done. It’s easy to get rid of those old newspapers and donate those pants and shirts from the early 2000s. But things may get a little more complicated when the time comes to sort through all those pieces of memorabilia that remind you of the memories that tug at your heart. It’s okay, we’ve got some tips to get you through the process.
Think About What’s Most Sentimental
Begin by doing a simple walkthrough of your home, mentally inventorying things that may need to go. Write a list of the things from most to least sentimental. Once you’re done, start with the room that has the greatest number of sentimental items with the most value to you.
Obligation or Honest Affection?
Think about what makes these things important to you. Do you feel a responsibility to hold onto them, or do they genuinely make you happy? If you wouldn’t hold onto it if it wasn’t connected to someone else, think about letting it go.
Relive the Glory
Whether it’s a seashell from your first beach trip or an award-winning 5th-grade art project, consider if you truly need to hold onto it. The memories you treasure won’t go away if you throw away the little things.
Think About What’s Truly Special
Look inside yourself and look through your boxes of “treasures” and determine if they could be considered “just stuff.” If you don’t look at them often, no one else will either. Let it go, and make room in your home and your life for new memories.
Preserve Your Memories Digitally
Take old pictures, drawings, artwork, projects, letters, documents, and other important documents and scan them for digital storage. Take some time to digitize only the memorabilia that is truly meaningful to you, then store it on a few thumb drives for safe keeping.
Bins are the Answer
If you’re having a hard time, try limiting yourself to one bin. Pick one period of your life you love to reminisce on. Collect all of the things you’ve collected along the way during that time frame, then limit what you’ll keep to whatever will fit in that bin. Try to keep the bin small. A container slightly larger than a shoebox will enable you to keep the items of most importance. So, when you’re wanting to relive some wonderful childhood memories on a lazy afternoon, you can focus on the memories and memorabilia that really matter.
Limit Decorative Items
Take a good look at each room in your house, and pair down the number of items that don’t serve a practical purpose. Keep only those items that your eyes linger on when you enter a room.
Getting rid of unnecessary items does not erase the memories associated with them. Journaling is a great way to keep memories clear. Think about whether or not a photo or a written recount of that special day would serve the same purpose as looking at that item itself. When you clear out your space and declutter your home, you can focus on making new memories.
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