Decluttering, or recovering space within
There are days when one can no longer bear the disorder.
And others when one accumulates without even noticing.
The relationship we maintain with our objects often says a great deal about the state we are in.
Tidying is not decluttering
Tidying is moving things.
Decluttering is deciding.
One can have a perfectly tidy interior that is nonetheless saturated: cupboards full, drawers one no longer opens, things kept “just in case”.
Why it brings relief
I do not believe that an object “weighs upon us” through some mysterious force.
But every thing we own requires, in its way, a little attention: one must see it, step around it, clean it, sometimes tend to it.
Lightening is rendering that attention available for something else.
That is no doubt why a sincere sorting often leaves an impression of clarity.
A very simple method
There is no need to overturn everything in a weekend. I prefer to proceed by small zones:
- one drawer, one shelf, one at a time
- three questions: do I use this, am I attached to it, does it clutter me
- and the right to keep what matters, without justification
Keeping things is not a fault
Decluttering does not mean living in emptiness.
Some objects connect us to people, to moments. Keeping them is entirely legitimate.
The aim is not to own as little as possible, but to be surrounded only by what still has meaning for us.
Conclusion
Creating space around oneself often means recovering a little within.
Not by magic, but because one ceases to carry, day after day, what no longer serves.
Yannick Costechareyre