If You’re Asking How Much Should I Declutter, STOP

Read time: 2.5 minutes

The real question we should ask ourselves is not “How much can we get rid of?” but “What kind of life do we want to live?”

The magic happens when we shift our focus from seeking less to seeking clarity.

We might discover that our decluttering goals are different than we initially thought.

Because in the first phase of our journey, we’re still very curious about minimalism and the benefits we can receive from such a lifestyle.

And whether we learn from YouTube videos, podcasts, books, communities, or from conversing with people we know. The information we gather tends to skew toward a message centered around helping us reach less.

Leading us to ask: How much can I get rid of?

But if you’re currently asking this question (or have asked it before), STOP.

Now, I am certainly not blind to the allure of less. I spent seven years decluttering and maintaining a clutter-free life across my home, headspace, and finances. Less can bring a sense of peace, freedom, and incredible self-awareness.

Is it enriching? Certainly. Is it life-changing? To a point. But there is more to our journey than the continuous effort of just “getting rid of things.”

To allow “less” to become our end goal.

I firmly believe in creating our lives through minimalism—designing an existence that reflects who we are and what we value. And from there, declutter anything that does not fit the life we are creating (or, in other words, that doesn’t align with our values).

Not the other way around.

Decluttering is about creating our life, not stripping away the life we have.

So today, I encourage you to challenge the type of questions you’re asking while decluttering.

Because your existence isn’t clutter waiting to be stripped away.

Take it from me—tremendous clarity can be gained when you ask life-creating questions.

I hope you’ll consider it.

After all, what kind of life do you want to live?

⇨ This Week’s Action Steps:

Reflect on your core values: Spend significant time without distractions, and write down your core values. What’s important to you and why? Aim to identify 3-5 core values. If you need help, grab my worksheet here.

Identify your decluttering goals: What do you want to achieve? By when? Why? When accomplished, what impact will it have on your life? How well do your goals align with your core values from above?

Evaluate your current decluttering efforts: Next, look at your current efforts. Are you continuously chasing less for the sake of less? How much attention are you giving to creating your life, or is all of your attention pointed at solely removing things from your life?

Define the life you want to live: Finally, define the life you want to live. It could be downsizing and traveling, more flexibility to pursue meaningful work or new career opportunities, or something more specific to you. This will give you a clear idea of when to stop chasing less and start enjoying the results of your decluttering efforts.

That’s it for today!

Keep growing on your journey, and I’ll see you next week.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

If you’re looking for clarity and traction on your journey, I’d recommend starting with an affordable course:

⇨ The Decluttering Starter Kit: Skip the overwhelm and jumpstart your decluttering journey. This comprehensive course will teach and guide you through the system I used to transform my life from clutter to clarity. Get access here.