For years I have said our house is too small. I just realized today that it is not. It is the perfect size for us. The problem is not with the size of the house. The issue lies with the amount of stuff we have and keep amassing. I don’t know what the problem is. It’s not like it’s Y2K, and we need to stockpile. It’s not like there is the threat of a pandemic to make us fill up the pantry. So, what is it?
All I know is that I need to do some major reorganizing. This fall, I will focus on food in my organizing, cleaning, and decluttering blitz. I mean, how many family-sized squirt bottles of ketchup do we need? That’s what happens when one gets shoved to the back of the pantry and I forget it is there.
When my parents died some 20+ years ago, I vowed I would not leave the same kind of mess for my children to sort out. I don’t want to burden them with deciding what to keep, dispose of, donate, or sell. Too much guilt associated with that. Now is the time to really practice what I preach.
I’ve decided to start off with the upstairs hall closet. This closet became a mini pantry when COVID hit—a place to store non-perishables that would keep us afloat if we couldn’t get to a store. The idea stuck, and we now use it to store extras. (Thank you, Costco!) Now I have huge packages of seaweed snacks intermingling with board games. There are tins of tuna cohabitating with Christmas wrapping, and cans of soup ogling the photo albums.
Now don’t start getting any ideas. I am not a hoarder. Not even close. But I do feel good when I look into a cupboard and see an abundance of non-perishable food.
There are many reasons to declutter your space. For seniors, those reasons may include creating a safe environment, moving, a health crisis, and creating a lower-maintenance lifestyle. The latter is what I’m interested in. I want to reach into a cupboard and get what I need without moving things. I don’t have time to search and sort just to find something I know is there. I’d rather be doing something else. Time is too precious to spend looking for the pickleball paddle when you could be putting it to good use on the court! (Believe me, I know exactly where my paddle is!)
Downsizing is not in my immediate future (I hope). I just want less stuff. I want to be in control of my surroundings, not the opposite. I think that decluttering will help simplify life and free up space, time, energy, and money to really enjoy life. It will also decrease the amount of waste we produce—fewer expired goods, and fewer bottles of ketchup.
Most of us have heard of decluttering expert Marie Kondo. That woman is intense! She has books, courses, consultants, the trademarked KonMari Method, TV shows, and more. Her life is cluttered with success! Her award-winning method of decluttering works on the premise that you do not choose what to discard, but rather what to keep. And you keep only the items that give you joy, or items that speak to your heart. If you follow this concept, you will reset your life and be surrounded by things that mean something to you. Sure, that sounds good, right? As older adults, we tend to have a lot more stuff that is sentimental (unless we have been following the KonMari method for a few decades. I don’t think it has been around that long).
How do we get started? As I said earlier, I’m starting with the hall closet. It is supposed to be a linen closet. There is a closet in the bathroom that houses our linen. So the hall closet turned into a catch-all closet, aka pantry. I can’t reach the items on the top shelf, but they appear to be a clarinet and some kind of autumn decoration. Hmm. Maybe I can put that to use this month. The clarinet? It hasn’t been played for 20 years. My daughter doesn’t want it anymore. I don’t have the embouchure or breath that I had in high school when I played a wind instrument. Maybe it should be donated? I’m sure there is someone out there who would love a like-new musical instrument. In fact, there are probably a few instruments lying around the house that should go to an inner-city band program. Much better than taking up space in a dark closet, never to see the light of day. The bottom shelf, which is the floor, holds photo albums. Lots of photo albums. What to do with those? I know, I wrote a blog about photos a few months ago. Obviously, I don’t walk the walk. And there’s a couple shelves of food. That’s the main issue here. I need a system to organize things. Hopefully, if I get rid of some of the other stuff in the closet I will create something manageable.
There are benefits to decluttering outside of creating a safe environment. (The World Health Organization states that about a third of adults over the age of 70 fall each year. In Canada, falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and deaths among those aged 65 or older. Wow! Clutter in the home, especially around stairs and doorways can be dangerous!)
Aside from the safety issues, decluttering and creating an organized space has a lot of benefits. A big one is concentration. When you enter a cluttered space, everything competes for your attention. I notice that, especially in my craft room. When it is chaotic, which is most of the time, I can’t focus on one thing. But when I give it a good clean and organize my supplies, I can really go to town!
Reducing clutter can reduce overall stress levels. You see, clutter and cortisol are best friends, and when those cortisol levels go up, so does our stress. Take away the clutter and cortisol gasps for air. Reducing clutter will also let you focus on the positive things around you. Rather than see piles of things you “need to do,” you will enjoy a relaxing space. It will be a space to sit, read a good book, write a good book, or whatever it is that brings you joy.
I’m not going to sit in my hall closet and write. But, it will bring me joy when I can reach in and grab a bag of seaweed snacks without a ton of other things falling on my head. Mmmm. I wonder what other snacks are in there!
P.S. If you or someone you know exhibits signs of hoarding, please consult a professional for help.
Interesting Reads & Things
Decluttering the Home for Seniors: A Concise Guide for a Simplified Living (seniorsbulletin.ca)
Letting Go of Clutter: Why Many Seniors Struggle (amadaseniorcare.com)
Decluttering Tips For Seniors (How To Declutter Guide) (seniorsafetyadvice.com)
Decluttering for Seniors: An Easy Way to Downsize and Get Organized – YouTube
NRM DeCluttering 35 Years of…Stuff – YouTubeGeorge Carlin Talks About “Stuff” – YouTube
Wanderings Art 