• My room has a makeshift carpet made of over a week’s worth of laundry
• There is a ring of books, papers, flashcards, pens, and charger cords around the chair where I do homework
• You cannot see my desk because it is a “dumping ground” when I come inside or unpack my backpack
• My closet contains many pieces of clothing that I have not worn yet this school year
• My computer is filled with hundreds of ebooks that I need to organize if I am ever to read them
• At my mom’s house, I have multiple storage bins filled with books and memorabilia that in a few month I need to move

Will and I frequently talk about wanting to live minimalist of lives. We want to live in a small house so that we can’t keep to many things. Yet we both have the habit of keeping everything and buying books all the time. One day after a conversation about this, I went through and donated or threw out a ton of clothing I don’t wear. However, the quantity of stuff I have and its state of disarray is a serious problem. I am legitimately worried about what will happen when Will and I move into a small apartment next year.

I just love keeping things. Maybe I’ll need it someday. It has emotional value to me. Books. Well, they are books. I may need to look something up or they are dear to me. Or both. But let’s be honest. Am I really going to translate Medival Latin in my free time?

I really started thinking about this this week when I read a book called How to Finally Escape the Clutter Trap by Robin Konie of Thank Your Body. This book discussed four “clutter profiles” and how these people can break free of whatever binds them to their clutter.

I am totally a combination of “I spent good money” and “Save the Memories,” as you can see above. Just this morning I looked at 10 shirts I haven’t worn all year, and thinking I should wear them for that reason. Yet I didn’t “feel like it,” just like I haven’t all year. But I need them! I can’t just throw them away! That’s wasteful.

Seriously, Chloe? They are shirts. If you don’t wear them, you don’t wear them. Give them to Goodwill.

As you can see, even though I know I need to de-clutter my life, I don’t know how to start. But this week, I learned how.

De-Clutter Your Life

• Take just 15 minutes a day to start going through your clutter.
• Objects are not memories. You don’t need to save every single plane ticket.
• If you buy something on sale that you wouldn’t have bought otherwise, you did not save money.

These are just three of many suggestions for purging your life of clutter and getting on track to organization to be found in How to Finally Escape the Clutter Trap. After reading this book, I truly feel like I can get started on a transition to a life with less stuff.

Now, we have a nice conundrum. Buy the book to help you de-clutter your life, or stop the cycle now? Your call. Do you think you can do it on your own? Are you more concerned about digital clutter or physical clutter? Personally, I don’t think I could find the motivation, strength, and strategy to do this on my own. I also am not presently concerned about digital clutter. To me, that is easier to deal with.

So for me, it is worth it to buy this book. Good luck with your de-cluttering endeavors!