Let the Space Decide

System Saturday — Episode 51

What Changed the Way I Declutter

Hello, and welcome to System Saturday, episode 51.

All week we've been talking about decluttering, so today I want to share one of the biggest things that changed the way I declutter and organize my home.

Because honestly, decluttering has been hard for me most of my life. I've always had a lot of stuff.

Even when I was growing up, I had a lot of things around me. I'm an only child, so I guess that was just part of life.

And as I got older, I continued to collect things—things from teaching, things from hobbies, things from different parts of my life—and I've had a lot of emotional attachments to my things.

So in order to fix it, I've read a lot of organizing books and tried a lot of different ways to declutter.

I've tried pulling everything out.

I've tried asking myself if something sparks joy.

I've tried asking if I used something in the last six months or the last year.

I've tried asking if I might use something again.

Because if you ask me if something sparks joy, a lot of things can spark joy. That doesn't mean I have space for everything that makes me happy.

And please don't ask me if I could use it in some way.

Of course I can.

I'm creative.

Give me enough time and I can probably come up with three million things I could do with something that's even broken.

So that is a very dangerous question for me.

Dana K. White's Container Concept

Then I came across Dana K. White's Container Concept, and that changed the way I looked at decluttering.

The basic idea is that you decide how much space you're going to give something, and that space becomes your limit.

For me, that was huge because instead of picking up every single thing and asking myself:

"Do I want this?"

"Do I like this?"

"Will I use this?"

"Should I keep this?"

I can start with the space.

And for me, that takes so much of the emotion out of decluttering and really helps me not have to make so many decisions.

Let the Space Help You Decide

Let's say I'm going through scarves.

Maybe I decide that my scarves get one drawer. That's the space I've decided to give them.

So I put my favorite scarves in the drawer first, and eventually the drawer is going to be full.

When that happens, I don't have to pick up every scarf that's left and convince myself that I don't like it anymore.

I might still like it.

I might even be able to come up with an outfit to wear with it.

But the drawer is full.

So now I have a choice.

I can decide that one drawer is enough and let go of the scarves that don't fit, or I can decide, you know what? My scarves are important enough to me that I want to give them two drawers.

I can do that.

It's my house.

But now that second drawer has to come from somewhere. So maybe something else gets less space.

That's a decision I'm making.

I'm deciding how I want to use my space.

And for me, that's very different from making an emotional decision after every single thing.

That's a Lot of Decisions

And that's another reason this works so well for me.

Decluttering involves a lot of decisions.

Think about how many questions you can ask yourself about one thing.

Do I want it?

Do I need it?

Could I use it?

Where would I put it?

Should I sell it?

Should I donate it?

Do I know somebody who might want it?

Now do that again, and again, and again.

Eventually, my brain is like, "Nope, we're done. No more decisions for today."

Starting with a dedicated space gives me a boundary before I even begin.

That doesn't mean I don't have to make any decisions.

I still decide what my favorite items are.

I still decide how much space I'm willing to give the items.

And I can always change my mind.

How Do I Want to Live in the Space?

I've also added something else that works really well for me.

Before I start, I like to picture what I want the room to look and feel like when I'm finished.

That's something I've really been thinking about while decluttering my home this week.

I have a lot of space.

Technically, I can probably find somewhere to put a lot of things, but just because I can find a place for something doesn't mean that's what I want to use that space for.

Maybe I'd rather have more open space and breathe.

Maybe I'd rather have room for a chair.

Maybe I want the room to feel calmer.

So now I'm not only thinking about what will fit. I'm thinking about how I want to live in the space.

That's what works for me.

If You Have Help

If you have somebody helping you declutter, here's something else that can make a real difference.

If possible, let them handle the items.

Let them pick something up and show it to you.

You can make the decision without having to touch every single thing yourself because when you touch something, it can bring that connection right back.

I pick it up.

I look at it.

I remember where I got it.

I remember what I was going to do with it.

And suddenly something I haven't thought about in five years has a whole story again.

So if somebody is helping you, they can be the hands, but you are still the person making the decisions.

Their hands, your decision.

They aren't there to tell you what you're allowed to keep. They're there to support you through the process.

And support can look different.

Maybe somebody is in the same room while you're organizing or decluttering.

Maybe somebody works with you.

Maybe they check in with you later.

Maybe you send them a picture of what you got done.

Figure out what kind of support works for you.

Make It Easy to Put Things Away

Then once you decide what you're keeping, you need a way to put it away.

And this is another lesson I've learned about myself.

I don't need my home to be Pinterest perfect, because I can create the most beautiful organizing systems in the world.

Everything can have a cute little container.

Everything can be perfectly labeled.

But if I have to go through three million steps every time I want to put something away, that system isn't going to last for very long.

I know myself.

I'll probably do it for a week, then I'm going to be like, "Ugh, this is too much work."

So for me, getting something out and putting it back needs to be as easy as humanly possible.

If I use something often, I want to be able to get to it easily.

And when I'm finished, I want it to be easy to put back, because an organizing system isn't useful to me just because it looks good.

It has to work while I'm actually living my life.

Make It Easy for Things to Leave

And the same thing goes for the things I'm not keeping.

If I'm donating something, how is it getting to the donation center?

If I'm selling something, where am I going to keep it until it sells?

How am I going to know what I've already listed?

If I'm giving something to somebody, how is it getting to them?

I don't want to create a perfect plan that has so many steps that nothing ever actually leaves my house.

I want to make the process as easy as possible.

And remember what we talked about on Tip Tuesday: if you aren't finished, contain what you're working on.

You can come back to it later.

We don't need to turn your house into an obstacle course while we're trying to make it easier to live in.

My Home Needs to Work for Me

And I think this might be the most important thing I've learned from trying all these different systems over the years.

My home needs to work for me.

It doesn't need to look like somebody else's home.

It doesn't have to be perfectly clean and perfectly organized every second of every day.

I live here.

Life happens.

Laundry happens.

Projects happen.

Sometimes things aren't going to be where they're supposed to be.

That's real life.

The goal isn't perfection, 'cause it's not realistic anyway.

The goal is that I create an environment that supports my brain and the way I live, and whatever system I create has to be easy enough that I can actually use it.

Your System Saturday Reflection

So here's what I want to leave you with today.

Pick one category in your home.

It could be books, clothes, scarves, kitchen items, craft supplies, whatever you want.

And before you start asking yourself what you're going to get rid of, think about how much space you want to dedicate to those items.

Maybe it's one shelf.

Maybe it's one drawer.

Maybe it's two containers.

Maybe you want to give it much more space than that.

You get to decide.

Then start with your favorites, and when you reach the limit of the space, you can decide if that's enough or if that category matters enough to you that you want to give it more space.

There's no perfect answer.

You're figuring out what works in your home, for your life, and for you.

Until Next Time

Thank you for spending a little bit of your day with me.

Until next time, I'll see you for Sanctuary Sunday.

Until then, I hope today's episode helped you create a little more clarity, feel a little more calm, and have a little more confidence. 💜💚