Do you have professional outfits clogging up your closet though you retired a decade ago? What about papers? Are your college biology notes co-mingling with your will in a filing cabinet to which you've lost the key? It's time to declutter, and what better month to start than in January, the official "Get Organized" month!
We all accumulate stuff, no matter what size our living space. As we age, clutter can become even more of a problem. It can cause tripping hazards, amplify stress, and accelerate memory loss issues. When moving into an assisted living apartment, seniors previously living in a house brimming with material possessions must confront downsizing. Adult children processing a parent's recent death are often faced with processing all the items their parent had compiled over the years.
Here are three tips to help you get started in the decluttering process:
1. Just begin. Choose one drawer or shelf to declutter. When comfortable, attempt a flat surface such as an entryway or kitchen table. Allow yourself small successes in short increments of time so that you are not overwhelmed by the process and self-sabotage your decluttering plans.
2. Get rid of duplicates. Do you really need those four sets of silverware or three wheelbarrows? Maybe, but if you're honest with yourself, you should be showing the door to unnecessary items making you see double.
3. Allow yourself time to reminisce. You're humming away in the corner of the kitchen tossing old ketchup packets and splintered wooden spoons when suddenly great grandma's handwritten nut tossie recipe dislodges from its hiding place and flutters to the floor. If it holds meaning for you, keep it! Take a pause and let nostalgia wash over you in its many forms. Then decide where the best place is in your home to give this recipe card the attention it deserves.