Hi everyone,
It's Tannaz Hosseinpour and welcomes another episode of minutes on growth. Today I want to discuss a topic that has been very relevant in my own life over the past couple of years and that is the art of decluttering and organizing our life, both our physical personal spaces and our mindset, and how vital this act is to your mental health, and for your soul to recharge and rejuvenate.
In this episode, I want to focus on and discuss why it is important to declutter our personal space and homes, and more importantly how to do so. So why declutter? When decluttering, we have the power to lighten our space and make room for exciting new possibilities. Louise Hay, one of my favorite authors, once said that” our closets can be considered symbols of our minds. a cluttered closet could mean a cluttered mind.”
One of the things I’ve noticed is that people are putting aside big chunks of their time on the weekends to clean their homes when really the purpose of the weekend is to relax and recharge your soul and family. And while for some people cleaning is very therapeutic, for many it can feel overwhelming and cause intense stress and anxiety. So how do we remove that feeling from our life and our weekends so that we can truly do what we love to do during our free time without feeling burdened or trapped.
Before we begin, I want to mention that our rooms, homes, and personal spaces are sacred spaces and our souls deserve to feel inner peace there. So it is absolutely important to make sure that when we leave our work or school and overall the outside world and step into our homes and rooms, we should feel rejuvenated and calm.
So let’s start. It's obvious to say that if the house is tidy and organized, then you don’t really need to put aside big chunks of time to clean. If we end up putting back everything where it belongs right after using it, then there's no need to put aside time to tidy that area.
Let me get more specific. We’re going out of the house and we’re trying on clothes, if we put back every piece of clothing that we’re not wearing, instead of just piling them on the chair or on the bed, then when we come back home, we’re not faced with clothes scattered around the room. Or for example, you’re on the phone and you need to write something down, so you pick up a pen and piece of paper, but then you forget to put back the pen where it belongs, an action that wouldn’t take more than a couple of seconds, then you’ll end up having to do so on the weekend as a bunch of these seconds accumulate. Putting things right back in their original spot doesn’t take more than a few seconds but can save you hours in the future. But what happens if you don’t have assigned areas for some items? I’ve entered homes where people just scatter their mail on their dining table, kitchen island, or console by the door. It’s all over the place because there's not an assigned area for the mail. So it’s as important to make sure you assign spaces. For example, you can use an empty shoebox and place it near the door for all your mail to be placed in there. You’ve allocated a specific place for the mail. This applies to everything. Let’s consider the doorway and hallway as this area seems to be one of the difficult spots in every household. You can assign a space for the shoes, and a space for the dog leashes. You can use dividers in your drawers for stationary, headphones, etc. Or Let’s consider your home office or your bedroom where you have a desk. You can use dividers here too to categorize your sheets of paper and your notes. You can use a jar for your pen. You can use a small saucer for your clips, and pins. To summarise, the first step is to allocate a space for everything and then to remember to put back everything where it belongs immediately after you use it. Now when you enter your house, you no longer feel overwhelmed, as everything is where it belongs. And if you have kids and it’s a little bit more difficult, research shows that kids tend to learn best through observing. So once they see you do it, they’ll be more inclined to follow in your footsteps.
I know that there are a few people who thrive in chaotic spaces, however, the majority of people do much better when they’re in decluttered, clean, organized, and tidy spaces. They can focus better, and achieve more as their space ignites the creativity within them. But for some, they’ve been hoarding and compiling for so long, that they don’t know where to start. It's important to start small. Look around your house and choose a room you would like to work on. For example, your kitchen. Then take a look at your kitchen and choose one area to work on, a smaller project to work on such as your fridge. Put aside a couple of minutes and go through the fridge. Take a look at the expiration dates and throw out anything that expired and try to create mini spaces; a section for fruits, a section for vegetables, a section for dairy products, and so on. This shouldn’t take more than half an hour. Once you’re done with that, then move on to another mini project in your kitchen, such as your condiments and tea cabinet. re-organize it to your liking and convenience. Do not try to do it all at once. Whenever you have some free time, work on one mini project at a time, day by day, week by week. And slowly, over time, those mini-projects will complete your large project and In this scenario, your kitchen is completely organized, de-cluttered, and tidy. Then move on to another room in your house. It didn’t get cluttered overnight, so don’t expect to declutter it within a night either. Take your time and be patient.
I’ve also noticed how helpful it can be to dedicate 5 minutes every morning or every night to ensuring everything is where it belongs. By dedicating a few minutes every day I avoid having to dedicate hours on the weekend, It also helps incorporate a more minimalistic approach to life. Over the years, as I’ve accumulated less stuff, it's been easier to keep an organized space. I’ve donated and gotten rid of many items I no longer used and the ones that I have kept. I make a conscious effort to honor their presence in my life by making sure they’re clean and where they belong at all times. I enjoy honoring my possessions and my home because ultimately it's me honoring myself, and honoring my peace of mind, and I cannot tell you how much of a difference it's made to my mental health. When I’m home I feel extremely calm and comfortable.
I want to note something though. Everyone’s definition of organized is different and that’s okay. For example, for me, it's absolutely important that all my clothes are organized by color, whereas for my partner it’s important that all the clothes in his closet are ironed. So as long as you feel at peace in that space, then that’s all that matters because you’ve accomplished that state of mind, So something that may bother me, may not bother you. So ask yourself what bothers you in your own room or space, and which spaces drain your energy, and create a personalized plan and take it from there.
We live in such a chaotic world. we turn on the news and all we see is chaos. we’re working longer hours and we may feel overwhelmed and burnt out. So it’s absolutely necessary for us to recharge at home, and to have a light space that allows for that to happen. Decluttering can be a very healing process, so I encourage you to try it.
If you have any specific questions on how and where to start, please don’t hesitate to message me. I’d love to help out.
Thank you for listening and talk to you soon.
Love & Light, Tannaz Hosseinpour