Living with Less
by Jacqueline Nuesch

Every person deserves to live in a home that promotes feelings of comfort, security, happiness, and well being.

Does your home make you feel happy? Does it welcome and inspire you? Every person deserves to live in a home that promotes feelings of comfort, security, happiness, and well being. It is our cocoon to escape the demands and pressures of the outside world. It is our place to relax, recuperate, and connect with the people we love. Unfortunately, for many people, their homes are not fulfilling this role. Rather, people feel anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, and defeated by the space they call home. Oddly enough, a thing we call clutter is often to blame.

Clutter is anything you keep that has no purpose in your current life. One of the best descriptions of clutter, as defined by Karen Kingston in her book Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, is that clutter falls into one of the following four categories: things you do not use or love, things that are untidy or disorganized, too many things in too small a place, and anything unfinished. Today the problem is compounded through shopping addictions, failure to differentiate between needs and wants, hectic schedules which prevent us from dealing with our possessions, poor organizational habits, and attachment of feelings to inanimate objects. The Chinese believe that clutter slows down the flow of chi energy making it difficult for people to move forward in life. I believe there is a direct correlation between the state of our homes and the state of our mental well being.

Cluttered homes make us feel overwhelmed and dissatisfied with life. They are harder to clean and sap time and energy as we sift through mountains of stuff to locate missing items. With clutter, simple tasks like cooking, cleaning, and grooming become frustrating and difficult. It causes fighting and discord in families as individuals fight for space. Relationships can also be damaged when people cut themselves off from outside relationships because of embarrassment over the disarray. Lastly, it is hard to relax or find motivation to move forward when you are surrounded by unfinished tasks that need doing.

So how does one deal with it? A saying that has stuck with me over the years is that, “Clutter cannot be organized, it must be eliminated.” To this I would add: clutter must also be managed on an ongoing basis. Therefore, I put forth the following guidelines and principals to help you eliminate and manage your clutter.

As a visual organizer, I used to forget about items if I tucked them away. Over the years I have been able to manage this problem by eliminating multiples from my life and adopting The Rule of One. By drastically reducing the number of items to manage, I am more able to remember what I have and where it goes. Additionally, I am encouraged to put items away because I have no backup in case they get lost. To implement this, start with a grouping like toiletries, office supplies, or kitchen gadgets. Gather all items together and assess. You are sure to see some surprises. Who knew they had seven tubes of lip-gloss, four containers of dental floss, and nine lotions! Now, in cases with multiple items, choose the best one and donate all of the rest. For products, keep what you think you will use in one year and get rid of the rest. Now, systematically start using a product from only one bottle or tube. Don’t move on to the next one until the first one is finished. Finally, do not purchase another item in this category until the last one is completely used up. After going through this process you should find it easier to resist impulse purchases. As a future rule, abstain from buying in bulk or purchasing items on sale.

After eliminating excess and paring down to essentials, it is time to introduce the One In, One Out rule. In adopting this rule, you make yourself get rid of an existing item for every new one acquired. When you reach the point where you are getting rid of perfectly good stuff, you will find your urge to acquire becomes greatly diminished.

In addition to these practices, you should also incorporate the following recommendations as part of a clutter maintenance program. Step one—get rid of clothing older than three years and items you haven’t used in a year. To aid in implementation, I suggest the following. Institute a giveaway shelf, cabinet, or storage unit beside your front door. When you come across an item that falls in this category, or you think you won’t miss, move it to this space; I send large items directly to the trunk of my car. Once the space is full, donate these items to charity. I also have space in this area for borrowed items. When finished with a borrowed item, I store it here until it can be returned to its owner.

Step two—set aside time for regular cleaning and purging. I find it works best to assign a time limit for tasks rather than setting out to tackle a whole job. When the time is up, release yourself from the task and appreciate the progress that was made.

Step three—whenever possible, borrow instead of buy. If you find yourself suddenly needing an item you have never used before, chances are it will be a while before you have use for it again. If you borrow an item three times within a year, it is usually okay to go and buy it.

Step four—make room for and allow yourself to be surrounded by empty space. I have at least one empty drawer, shelf, or cupboard in every room. It helps me feel that I have room to grow and change. Additionally, the comfort and relaxation I get from seeing these empty spaces on a regular basis gives me the energy and enthusiasm to continue living with less.

Jacqueline Nuesch owns and operates SewChic EcoDecor, an organizing, staging, and redesign company focusing on creating sustainably beautiful living spaces for ordinary people. For more information or to have Jacqueline come in and revitalize your space visit www.sewchic.ca or call (306) 343-6120 in Saskatoon.