I met Gina Lazenby very recently, thanks to HomeExchange: After seeing her beautiful home online, I rushed to contact her. Of course, her place was already booked for another exchange; but I discovered that Gina is the writer of The Healthy Home, a book dedicated to leading a healthy lifestyle by "de-stressing" the home. After she sent me a link to her blog titled Woman-At-Large, one entry about the curse of clutter caught my attention: "I’ve just come back from a 2-month tour of Australia so I have been living out of a suitcase for 8 weeks and have had to be super organized: everything labeled and packed into separate zip lock plastic bags so I can avoid exploding uncontrollably into each space I visit. It’s not easy but after a few weeks on the road you realize just how little you actually need..."
The Principles of Packing and Applying It To Clutter At Home
For those of us who are pack rats, Gina offers this bit of wisdom: "And even if it’s hidden away in wardrobes, closets, drawers and attics, instead of openly assaulting you on surfaces and book cases, it is still having an effect and holding you back." To combat clutter, here are a few of her key tips:
Start small. Don’t take on a whole room. Choose a corner of a room and pick a shelf or drawer. When that is done you will want to do more.
It’s all YOU. Know that you are connected to everything you own. You bought it or brought it in to your home, your space, so its yours – it’s YOU. The question is “Is it the YOU you are now?”
Get help. Invite a friend over as they will be more ruthless than you will be on your own and will keep you on task by hovering over you. Do the same for them too – it’s a good skill swap and you can get your revenge as well.
Good questions to ask. Avoid asking, "Will I ever need this?" Because you will probably say yes. Better to ask: “Does this bring me joy? Does it lift my energy? Is this really making a contribution in my life? Is it beautiful, do I love it? Is it serving me right now to have it? If I let it go, will I be creating space for something better and more wonderful to come in? Does it support me being of service in the world? Would someone else get more use or joy from having this?"
Check out the rest of Gina's tips on her blog here; and you can also check out her book, The Healthy Home.
(Image: You Can Count on Me's Flickr )
Comments (6)
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last year I finally finished clearing the majority of clutter in my apartment, painted and really made the place comfy and airy. It was kind of addicting, once I got started, I wanted to just clear it all away. But a year later, I went on holiday to Spain (a few weeks ago) and realized that I took way too much stuff with me. Now I realize that this will always be a work in progress. Clutter, and the need to have 'things' tends to sneak up on you. And for the 'just in case' type of personality (me), you got to work just a little harder.
view DRCny's profile
Well put DRCny.
view deepa's profile
the above clause "Is it beautiful, do I love it?" this is my problem- I can answer YES to almost everything that I have- how does a collector of beautiful things make it work?
view profumodibergamo's profile
Recently, we had a big fire near where I live, and I had to pack up my car in case I was ordered to evacuate. Once I had packed everything that mattered, I went back inside to watch the news, and when I walked in my front door, I thought to myself, "If everything that matters is out in the car, what's all this stuff?"
Once the fire was out, I spent about ten days decluttering my entire apartment. As DRCny said, it was addictive. I put my hands on everything I own--everything in every drawer, in every closet, in every box--and decided whether it meant something to me. I feel so much lighter now! Everything is organized and easy to find. And, sure, it's not like all that's left is the stuff I would take if I had to evacuate. But I can honestly say that everything in my apartment is something I want to have here. It's a great feeling!
view Liz Kuball's profile
When I first moved last year, I lived in a hotel for a couple of months. It was during that time I realized how much crap I had that I didn't need and didn't even want. It freed me up and I'm so thankful to finally have come to the realization of it being okay to get rid of over half of it.
view baileyb's profile
Sadly that doesn't apply to all of us. I went on vacation for less than five days and wound up packing a huge suitcase and had a couple things in a overnight bag. Everything that was packed got used - down to the extra socks, the sweater and hoodie, etc.
view ChrisGal's profile