De-cluttering after the Quarantining
While de-cluttering is associated with cleaning the house, everybody knows there’s financial potential in getting rid of the clutter. People search feverishly to solve a packrat problem but there’s money to be made. It’s a great incentive when you need to tackle a space dilemma. As many people addressed their packrat problems during the Pandemic, the concept of decluttering took on new meaning. Now that the end of Covid is near, this blog addresses what post-pandemic de-cluttering is concerned with.
Did De-cluttering Really Change?
First, we consumed less. As we return to something like normal, post-pandemic de-cluttering means the house gets cleaned. That alone has been an epiphany. Here are powerful de-cluttering lessons from the Covid 19 Pandemic:
- We discovered flexibility.
- We shared space with others.
- Community concerns can be met when de-cluttering.
- De-cluttering rewards proactive cleaning.
- Physical exertion during de-cluttering can complement the psychological effort!
- Don’t take Planet Earth for granted!
Flexibility from De-Cluttering
Second, we want to be on top of changing circumstances, whether financial or otherwise. We must be flexible. We need to maintain a malleable attitude, whether we’re confronting consumerism or examining an emotional attachment. Flexibility means we clear out clutter and survive the process.
Good news: People will pay for our used stuff. We learned about venues that pay money. We confronted our consumerism and wondered what all this stuff was about? Everybody’s answer was different, but facing the issue increased our flexibility. We can solve space problems and packrat problems with the act of de-cluttering!
Sharing from De-Cluttering
Third, going forward, let’s place a moratorium on buying junk. People we live with will respond positively. Put a new rule into effect: You can buy new things only when you’re satisfied that you’ve de-cluttered enough.
- Sort your stuff into boxes or paper bags. If you never use it, get rid of it.
- Put a dollar amount on your stuff. If you de-cluttered during the Pandemic, you know the market will respond to certain things like smartphones, CDs, and DVDs. Still, it will also look favorably on weird things. When looking at your junk, ask yourself if you would pay money for it? If so, consider selling it. Sometimes, stuff has little or no exchange value, so prepare to donate it. If Goodwill doesn’t want it, then throw it in the trash.
- Indeed, to inventory everything in your life, remove objects in every room you don’t use. In the kitchen, pull out all the tools you use, remove the rest to boxes and get ready to sell or donate.
- Do the job piecemeal. Once you’re finished, ask a trusted friend or relative to inspect your place.
De-cluttering with the Community in Mind
Fourth, many of us had to learn to live with others during quarantine. When living alone, the problems with loneliness quadrupled. No longer could you skip out of your empty apartment and go to the corner coffee shop or out to lunch. In addition, living with others made us sensitive and sensible to other people’s experiences of our clutter.
In fact, clutter in a shared space became anathema to sharing space in a civilized world. De-cluttering becomes a natural pursuit to share space. It’s transformed the concept of “picking up” into something else. It suggests communal responsibility.
How to De-Clutter a Room
De-cluttering your place one room at a time is one way to beat your packrat problem. In truth, it’s going to take a little effort. Simplify what you can do with your de-cluttered junk.
- Donate.
- Sell
- Trash it
The Energy to De-Clutter!
Maybe a better phrase is community awareness. After the pandemic, we discovered knowledge of the community’s need for goods. The thrift stores translated somebody else’s trash into objects of value.
Suddenly, the online selling venues for our stuff are places to explore, educate our feelings, and increase awareness. Was selfless sacrifice actually possible in the .dot economy?
How to De-Clutter Quickly!
Set aside a day, preferably a Monday holiday or a weekend day, and designate it as a post-pandemic de-cluttering day.
In a like fashion, we discovered days to do charity when we drop off donations at a charity. Consequently, we’ve learned the value of giving and the importance of recycling. Every book they sell to someone else, every DVD or CD, someone keeps consumer items in circulation that would end up in a landfill.
Post-Pandemic De-Cluttering When You Have Too Much Junk?
Once you’ve resolved to de-clutter, try to do it piecemeal. A space full of junk presents a real problem. Start in a simple corner of your area, and work out from there.
De-cluttering and consumerism
De-cluttering makes for good habits. Those mental challenges don’t have to go away. Put yourself into a de-cluttering frame of mind whenever you want. You have the experience. Face the challenges life choices bring to us.
Does it Take Long to De-Clutter?
Occasionally, time is the key to your success. If you look at your items with cold calculations, your de-cluttering process goes faster. The less time you spend evaluating, the more time you’ve saved.
Physical Fitness and De-Cluttering
De-cluttering sharpened our minds and forced us to make a little effort. We moved piles of stuff into the garage or a donation center.
De-Cluttering and Allergins
Decluttering reduces stress. It increases the likelihood that you’ll sleep better at night. Any cleaning reduces allergens, dust particles, and toxic stuff in the air. De-cluttering is a cleaning act.
You also get a mental lift when you de-clutter. A mentally and physically fit person can enjoy all that life offers.
De-cluttering and Appreciating Planet Earth
The theory goes that climate change drove bats out of their natural habitats and into human populations. That scenario then caused the Covid 19 pandemic. The Covid virus spread to humans. Do you believe the Pandemic was caused by human behavior? If so, then the root cause of climate change (overpopulation) is obvious. Overpopulation won’t go away tomorrow. Consequently, the size of your footprint (your mode of existence) matters. What can you do to turn climate change around?
Contribute to a Sustainable Environment
- Awareness. De-cluttering increases self-awareness. That reduces consumption. What person wants to keep piling junk up in their lives?
- Downsizing or down-scaling. De-cluttering means fewer resources go into supporting our way of life.
Indeed, climate change rises with the production of consumer goods. In a consumer society, de-cluttering exposes our consumption patterns, illuminates our consumption style, and suggests ways to improve our lives.
Why not embrace a de-cluttering chore, like picking up the house once a day?
What Complications Arise from De-Cluttering?
Finally, to get rid of something you value can be tough. Before de-cluttering, consider the item’s value during a pandemic? What alternatives to getting rid of it are there? Can I store it somewhere?
This article was published in 2021 and has been slightly revised.
