If you would ask me what my biggest decluttering challenge is, I won’t think twice before accepting that it’s always the sentimental items that make it hard for me to declutter the house effectively. I remember owning a set of greeting cards that my little sister used to give me on my birthdays when we were kids. And there were many other keepsakes that I kept secure for more than 20 years in my bedside drawer before it became obvious for me to get rid of them.
I happen to own this beautiful diary that my best friend gifted me for my 17th birthday that I still can’t get rid of. As an emotional person, I find it hard to let go of anything that was either gifted to me or was bought by me as a mark of something special in my life.
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It’s humane to attach sentimental values to material things and sometimes, it is what helps us revisit the special memories. But when these sentimental items end up occupying half the space in your cupboard, you know that downsizing them is something that can’t be put off for long. There’s no point holding on to that 10 year old Christmas present that is preventing you from enjoying the stuff that really matters.
Here’s what you can do to part with those sentimental items and make emotional decluttering less hard:
1. Declutter With The Focus On What To Keep
The task of decluttering sentimental items often begins with the wrong motive in mind. i.e. to get rid of some of the stuff. We just wake up one day to realize that our memory box is overflowing with stuff that we need to purge. And when we finally start decluttering, it seems too hard to part with the things that are dear to us. The point here to note is that you must not declutter sentimental items with the view of getting rid of things that are less important. Instead, focus your mind on deciding which all items you should keep. So if you have fifty items in your keepsake box, allow yourself to choose thirty that you want to keep and throw away the rest.
2. Ask Yourself Questions As You Declutter
Decluttering keepsakes can be a lot easier if you ask yourself questions related to every item in sight. It’s almost like rating stuff on the basis of the value they hold in your heart and keeping the ones that are rated high. Some of the questions that you must ask yourself as you declutter are:
– What difference would it make if I throw it away?
– Do I feel happy every time I see this item?
– Am I okay with letting this thing go?
– How many of these items do I really need?
– Is this item absolutely important for me to hang on to?
Asking questions can make things easier as you begin to declutter because it will help give you a clear picture of how much stuff you actually need.
3. Declutter In Stages
Let’s just first accept that getting rid of things that hold an emotional value for you aren’t easy to part with, which is why you should always take it slow. Don’t expect yourself to purge the entire box of keepsakes within 10 minutes when you have been holding on to them for years. Give yourself time and mental space as you make your mind up to part with stuff. Pick a fine Sunday morning to choose only 5 items that you can do without and let them go. Give yourself a leverage of another two weeks to choose 10 other items you can let go of. Sleep on your choices if you need to but don’t forget to be easy on yourself.
4. Declutter When You’re Absolutely Ready For It
Don’t just start decluttering sentimental items because you think you must do it. You need to be mentally ready to be able to part with your stuff besides being committed to making your home look organized. Imagine trying to declutter your childhood memory box randomly and getting distracted with how beautiful your old paintings and gifts are and how you would never be able to part with them. So don’t open that box until the sole purpose in your mind is to declutter it.
5. Have Memories In Digital Form
With digitization comes the comfort of saving memories, especially photographs, in a digital format. I don’t remember the last time I held a physical photo in my hands, nor do I keep photo frames at my home anymore. It’s amazing how having a digital memory of things can help you save so much of space at home which can be filled up with other important things.
6. Do Not Hold On To Stuff Out Of Guilt
I held on to every greeting card that I ever received in my life until I was seventeen. The thought that people had put in so much efforts to make me feel special always made it harder for me to part with gifts. Guilt is often the worst enemy of sentimental clutter which is why you should never hold on to the stuff because of this reason.
7. Don’t Find Clutter A New Place To Settle In
I remember shifting a lot of my sentimental clutter into my Mom’s cupboard only because it had space. I shifted a lot of my old books into the store room because I didn’t want to part with them forever. It took me an hour long lesson from my Mom about how I was simply shifting clutter from one place to another rather than getting rid of it. So take it from me that finding a new place for sentimental clutter isn’t the same as decluttering it. You need to either sell it or donate it or just throw it away to make your home look organized.
8. Take Proper Care Of What’s Left
Decluttering won’t be of any use if you aren’t taking proper care of what’s left. Organizing those sentimental items is just as important as decluttering in order to enjoy them to the fullest. So make sure that you keep that old T-Short clean, the showpieces shiny and the accessories spotless.
Truth be told, holding on to objects that have sentimental value attached to them helps you reminisce your beautiful past. It’s always going to be difficult to get rid of what made you happy once but when you start losing the sight of more important things amidst an ocean of past, cutting down on clutter is the only way out.
What challenges do you face while decluttering sentimental items and what tricks do you implement to get rid of them?