182 How to Declutter With Your Partner Part 1: Prepare With These Tips
Bear the cat’s in a box, but not overwhelmed.
We’ve been decluttering over the winter break, and thought you might be, too.
Here’s some discussion, anecdotes, and tips gleaned from our decluttering projects.
We hope they come in handy or at least provide some entertainment for your decluttering efforts.
Decluttering Tips
Accept that at least some of this project will feel overwhelming. So take deep breaths.
Eat before you start; stay hydrated, and start early in the day.
Know what each of you does best. (Eg: Toast is best at finding good boxes for storing things in; she also likes cleaning; Siena is more visual and inclined to envision how to maximize use of a space.)
If something strikes you as a difficult decision, just pass and move on until you get to an easier decision. To put something into the “unsure” bucket IS to have decided. Value immediate and easy yeses and nos; remove the emotional load of decision-making. Don’t worry; you’ll go back to it later.
Memory Lane is not today; schedule a visit down Memory Lane later, if that makes you feel better.
Be flexible and open-minded about how long things can take. It’ll probably take longer than you think. Or shorter! You probably don’t have enough experience to estimate the timeframes accurately. Be prepared to be flexible.
Be extra kind and nice to each other.
Take some time to think about your values ahead of time. It’ll help in sorting and deciding what to keep. (Eg: How minimalist do you want to go? Do you really need X number of objects in order to regard yourself as valuing a relationship?)