I hope you’ve been enjoying this year of challenges on She Dwells. If you haven’t been following along, we’ve challenged ourselves to prioritize personal wellness, independence, and thinking about others. Now that April is upon us (already!), it’s time to refocus yet again. This month we’re taking a slightly new direction and turning our focus to downsizing.
I came up with the idea for this month’s challenge as Mike and I have been preparing to get new flooring installed at our house. That means everything has to be removed from our family room and living room, as well as from our kitchen counters. I tend to think that we’re pretty good at downsizing on a regular basis–we really aren’t sentimental people. If things no longer serve a purpose, we donate them. But I’ve learned, in the last few weeks, how very much stuff we still have.
As I put together this month’s challenge, I tried to be creative about the ways that downsizing might occur. There are obvious ways, like cleaning out a closet. But some types of downsizing rarely come to mind. If you’re a collector, for instance–is your collection still bringing you joy?
One thing I discovered in the process of unloading a closet was that my large collection of cookbooks is no longer something I care about. I love to cook, but I rarely look at physical books–when I need inspiration or information, I turn to the Internet. So as I unloaded the shelves, I set aside the few books I was happy to see. Then I let my daughter sort through the rest. Finally, I put together a big pile to sell to the used book store. And suddenly I have tons of room in a closet that’s always been too crowded.
Other items to think about when you’re downsizing are those you keep for specific purposes, like holiday dishes. Do you actually take them out on the relevant holiday? If not, it might be time to reconsider the space they’re taking up. Craft items fall into this category, too. It’s sometimes hard to admit that you spent money on supplies for a project you aren’t committed to starting (or finishing), but the reward for letting yourself admit this is extra space for storing things that actually bring you joy, rather than making you feel defeated.
As always, this challenge is meant to be inspiring rather than instructive. You may find daily projects that don’t apply to you. When that’s the case, move on to another day or expand on my suggestion. (If you have several email accounts, for instance, downsizing each of them might be more useful than sorting through your linen closet.) If it takes you two days to get through your shoe collection, that’s not a problem. The goal here is to keep your focus on making your life feel more manageable by the end of the month.
If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll join the She Dwells community on Facebook or Twitter and join the conversation as we work together on this month’s challenge.
No Comments