Simple Sustainability: Intelligent decluttering: Adding before subtracting

by Sky Trombly –

Decluttering can be a big waste of time and energy. I see two main problems with beginning a minimalist journey by decluttering. Here, I’d like to show how an aspiring minimalist can avoid the two most common pitfalls, chose a more savvy approach instead, and thus fast track a minimalist journey.

The Pitfalls of Minimalism

The first pitfall of decluttering is focusing on losing bulk. If you go about decluttering as though it were a deprivation diet (designed to make you drop weight quickly), you’ll be losing the peace that minimalists get from discovering themselves and then spending their energy on things that they value. Instead, you get swept up in all the mental flagellation that is a part of this kind of unhealthy mindset. Perhaps you’ve been “good” and gotten rid of 10 things, so let’s now “treat” yourself with a few purchases.

The “good” versus “bad” mentality and the focus on shedding weight/bulk, detracts from something that could have brought value to your life. When you decide to quit on minimalism, which seems inevitable given the unpleasant nature of this experience, you’ll feel like a failure. Yay.

The second pitfall of decluttering is proceeding without a bigger picture in mind. The whole process becomes rife with hopeless meanderings. Maybe you’ll get rid of that thing, but find during the following week that you actually needed it. Or, having been through this a few times, you worry about getting rid of anything at all. You become so indecisive that no progress is made. Or, progress may be sporadic but you just don’t get any satisfaction. The job never feels “done”.

Yes, I know that minimalism is lifelong and never “done”, per se, but when a project is approached intelligently, as I describe below, you’ll feel a kind of satisfaction, of completeness, that will last you for far longer.

Big Picture Minimalism

We can subtract indefinitely. Especially if we are not clear on our needs and preferences. Flying blindly, we can subtract, add, subtract, and so on without any sense of resolution.

It strikes me how many minimalist approaches are focused on the decluttering aspect. Successful minimalists who adopt this style (eventually) uncover their personal essentials and priorities.

But what if we could fast track the decluttering process? What if we focus first on ADDING to minimize? I realize that this seems counter-intuitive, but hear me out.

We can’t paint a very clear picture with what something isn’t or doesn’t include. Imagine wanting to paint your house. You go to a salesperson and share that you don’t want the house to be pink or yellow. And then you start through the display of options deciding which colors you don’t want. I think the salesperson would be relieved when break rolled around.

If we focus on what to get rid of, we’re not focusing on the bigger picture. What do we want the final product to look like? What are we hoping to create?

If we do a little planning and think about what we want and what our limitations are, I think you’d find we’d have a better target to aim at.

This sort of decluttering, the decluttering with a vision as a template, is faster, surer, and leads to less back-tracking. The project doesn’t feel as though it can never be finished.

Adding Before Subtracting

The best way to declutter, in my opinion, is to empty a space first, start fresh, and then consciously add in only what you need, use, or love. And, of course, what fits your vision for the final result.

Once we’ve added in what is truly necessary or loved then the items that didn’t make the cut lie homeless and highlighted. Since we’re presumable pleased with our finished product, these unwanted items are not as tempting to hold onto.

This approach lends itself to feelings of satisfaction and completeness as opposed to guilt and deprivation without resolution.

Ending Thoughts

It is my hope that highlighting these pitfalls will help other aspiring minimalists, but the “you” in this article is only a literary device. I don’t presume to know another’s experience of minimalism.  So how about you? Have you also experienced these pitfalls? How have you approached them?