This week my entire life is in the process of being whittled down into 2 suitcases that I will be living out of for the next 4-5 months while I travel and and land in my new home city, San Francisco – and uh yes, I am beyond EXCITED!
I’ll admit I’ve been wondering how, or if this was going to be possible, but I know that of course it is and I’m now really looking forward to the freedom of not being weighed down by anything I no longer need.
I’m using this as an opportunity to strip back and completely overhaul everything I own.
And as I’ve been going through the process of de-cluttering my life and ridding everything I own, right down to the bare essentials, it got me thinking about how easy it is to find yourself living in amongst clutter that we blindingly assume as our state of ‘normal’.
My intention going into 2016 is to strip back the layers, edit and simplify every area my life.
Have you been feeling a similar nudge?
As the year draws to a close now is the perfect time to reflect on what is no longer serving you and create space for opportunities + ideas + to gain a renewed sense of energy.
During this month, I will be sharing ideas on how you can simplify + detox your life to give yourself the best possible start in 2016.
To kick things off, I have 7 simple ways you can de-clutter your life, starting today.
1. De-clutter your home
Dedicate a weekend to cleaning out your apartment or home and don’t be afraid to edit it ruthlessly, getting rid of everything you no longer use.
Empty out your living space, workspace + bedroom with everything non-essential – be ruthless in this process – if you don’t love it and it’s not good for your soul, lose it.
My rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it or looked at it for a year then it’s probably something you can live without.
Then go about organising your belongings in a way that feels mentally refreshing. I’m a big fan of IKEA storage boxes (like these) to organise odds and ends.
- Toss newspapers + magazines more than 2 months old.
- Donate any clothing or shoes to charity that no longer makes you feel good.
- Create a storage system for any important documents; or better yet digitise everything so you no longer need to keep the paper version.
- Gather up any items not belonging to you and return them to their owner.
- Do an audit of any books or old CD’s you’ve been hanging on to and either toss or donate them to charity.
Clutter-free feels good. You will feel calmer, confident and have a renewed sense of energy to invest in things that genuinely light up your soul.
