{Inside: the most important thing to have to declutter more easily that has nothing to do with joy}
When it comes to decluttering there is an easier way.
Forget joy.
And I say that knowing joy has it’s place in letting go. But I don’t think it should have a large place. These days, everything can spark joy. Joy is much easier to come by.
So when you are decluttering it can be more difficult to parse out that which brings joy from what doesn’t.
Difficult is the operative word here.
Decluttering feels difficult all on its own. The goal is to find ways to make the process easier. And in doing so make the idea of letting go not feel so much like a loss.
There are a few things that make decluttering more difficult:
1. You focus on who gave you the item.
2. You think about the negative – what you lose – instead of the positive – what you gain in the process.
3. You let emotions rule your decisions.
That last one is probably the worst thing of all and the most difficult to move through. So much of what you own is attached to an emotion. It could be guilt, sadness, fear, or insecurity.
There are ways to dig into those emotions, to better understand how they contribute to clutter. And it is good to do that digging to help develop better habits around what you consume – and why.
While a lovely thing to have in your life, joy is also an emotion. So asking you to apply it in your decision making – on top of other emotions already in play – can make the process unnecessarily heavier.
Asking “does this “spark joy” is not very limiting. It’s plentiful. So using it to determine whether something deserves a place in your space can make letting go a struggle. Using it as a measuring stick can sometimes leave you in a web of confusion and heartache.
You need a different approach.
You need a way to look at the process in a positive way, and approach it more practically. Decluttering conjures up emotion. Even if there are items you know you no longer like, need, or use. Letting go still feels like a loss.
The most important thing to have to declutter more easily that doesn’t involve joy is vision.
This is might sound too simple. But a vision will help you create big things in all areas of your life. Nothing important is developed with any semblance of ease without vision.
When applied to the process of letting go, vision is nothing short of powerful. And it isn’t just because of what it helps you “see”. It is how it helps you let go more easily of the very things that cause the difficulty in the first place.
Having a vision takes the emotion out of the item.
Instead of focusing on the item, who gave it to you, perhaps the guilt you feel over considering letting it go, you are focusing on your life, and the spaces in which you live, in a broader way.
When things feel heavier and harder to let go of because of emotion it is your vision that can help you decide.
Instead of asking if something sparks joy, ask if it matches your vision.
Measure your vision – for what you want to see in your space and life – up against any item. And be honest about whether it matches. When it doesn’t, let it serve as the answer you seek.
Joy works best when you are clear on what matters most to you. And there is a place for it when decluttering.
But clarity of vision is king – especially when things are attached to an emotion. When you have that clear vision, there is no end to the joy you will feel.
