Spring clean, fall prune
Since it's the first of September and I can literally feel autumn in my bones, I wanted to spend some time today talking about a routine that my family and I came up with over the last several years. It's a rhythm that we've really come to enjoy at the turn of the season, every spring and fall equinox.
The Spring Clean + Fall Prune
Every spring and every fall, we go room-by-room, drawer-by-drawer and box-by-box and go through all of our belongings.
We don't live in a small house by any means (though some would consider 1800 sqft small, it's large compared to the 900 sqft house we lived in 5 years ago), but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't do a complete audit of everything that is in our house.
Decluttering Rules I Live By
Start with one room.
And if one room is too much to start with, start with one drawer in that one room. Break that room down into small, achievable chunks. When you finish that drawer, you can decide if you have the energy to move on to the next one. I typically have momentum to keep going, so I go for as long as I feel I can go.
Create an Out pile.
As you're going through each room or drawer, have a place in your house where you can put the things that need to go "out". I like to use a cardboard box or paper shopping bags.
Don't make the decision to sell, donate, or give away yet. Just put it in the pile and decide where it goes later. If it's obvious trash, have a trash bag at the ready to toss trash into. But don't make decisions on where the things in your Out pile go yet.
Give everything a home.
This is one of my favorite rules for myself: everything you own should have a home. All of my hanging clothes have enough hangers. All of my books have space on the shelf. Mail gets sorted right away, either in the recycling bin or filed. Library books live near my other books on the shelf. half-dirty clothes are either in the hamper or back on the hanger.
I try not to keep stacks of things around, but it happens. When I notice things start to pile up, I try to find their homes. Pens back in the cup, papers into the filing cabinet, books on the shelf. If there's no home, reconsider why you have it. Find a home for it if you want to keep it.
Organized clutter is still clutter.
Resist the urge to buy organizers. First ask yourself if you still need this item, or want it. Does it still fit? Does it still fit into your life? Or does it belong to a different version of you? Sometimes I buy clothes with the intention of changing my workout routine or trying out a new style that I don't end up liking. I used to keep around skincare products that were definitely expired, because I spent a lot of money on it. Sunk cost fallacy.
Really question each item before deciding to keep or let go of it. Don't just buy more shelves to fit the amount of stuff you own. Question how much you own, first.
Get it out of the house.
After all is said and done, go back to your Out pile. Make a couple of quick piles: sell, donate, gift. I don't typically try to sell much unless I know I'll get good money for it, because it takes a lot of time and effort to list the thing, box the thing, ship the thing, etc. Anything I plan to donate, I put in another bag to put in my car.
The last pile is for things I have plans to give to someone else - typically this is a book I think a family member might like, or a piece of clothing that might fit someone else, etc. I take a photo of it, send that person a quick text and move on with my day. If they want it, great. If not, donate.
Decluttering with kids
I never want my kids to feel like their toys or belongings are going to disappear. I don't declutter their stuff without their help. I always start talking about spring clean/fall prune at least a month in advance, so they know it's coming and can start thinking about their overflowing bins and dressers. I always have my kids help in the decision-making, one drawer or space at a time. Sometimes it's one small bin of toys. Other times we can tackle the whole dresser together to decide what still fits and what doesn't. I want to help them build decision-making skills with their own belongings, and never try to force anything out if they truly want to keep something.
We have continuous discussions about what their favorite toys are, how it gets hard to find things when we have too much stuff, how to make room for incoming toys and gifts as birthdays and holidays approach, and how everything needs a home.
It's taken a lot of practice, but my almost 7-year old gets it. My 4-year old is starting to understand.
Things I’m not minimalist with
There are some things that I'm absolutely not minimalist about. I own well over 500 books, for example. Lots of them are 'own now, read later' books. Some are reference books. However, if I read a book and didn't like it, I don't keep it around.
I'm also not minimalistic about hobbies and art supplies: I've decluttered supplies before and have regretted it more than once. Sure, get rid of the broken brushes and dried out paints and markers. But I tend to go back to art and crafts in different seasons of my life. I also like having these around to bring out for my kids to try.
The wrap up
Once it's all said and done, I'm always relieved. Not just relieved that we're done with what is often a month-long project, but relieved to have space to move.
Room to breathe.
Decision-making is easier when there are fewer things to decide on.
More space on the bookshelf for books I actually want to read.
Less visual clutter on my desk when I'm trying to work.
Do you declutter your things occasionally? I want to hear about your routine!
Currently reading
- Jurassic Park, Michael Chricton
- Golden Son, Pierce Brown
Post Roll
- It's okay to take a break from thinking about digital privacy
- Just put it on your blog
- Extracting ones self from Google
- An overview of how our family is prepared
- Sitting in my discomfort