Things to declutter right now

Guess who’s going through another decluttering phase?

Yup.

I bow to you, person who said that minimalism is a journey, not a destination.

I am currently sitting on a pile of clothes that I am selling/donating and I am impressed by how ruthless I’ve been this time round.

I declutter systematically and often. I am constantly scavenging for things I can get rid of. But I am also a sentimental person, and I tend to cling on to things that I might not need or use but that hold a sentimental value. However, recently I’ve been binge watching this lovely person’s videos and I’ve been incredibly inspired to let go of things I had never thought I would part with.

Beside this recent motivation, in the past few months I have reassessed my relationship with material things. Being unable to buy stuff during lockdown made me reconsider my priorities and what really is important to me - turns out, it’s not material possessions. 

So if you are in search of some extra motivation to get rid of some of your stuff that’s been sitting around, here's a list things I’m decluttering from my wardrobe right now:

• Needy pieces
  Those pieces of clothing that require more pieces of clothing in order to be worn. I have two off-the-shoulder tops that would be really nice to wear with a spaghetti-strap singlet underneath. I don’t have such singlet and I am not going to buy one for the sole purpose of wearing it with those specific tops. Might as well get rid of the tops and fix the root of the problem. 

• Non-matching pieces
  I have a pair of pants that are super cool but I bought them on a whim and the reality is, they don’t match with anything else in my wardrobe. Again, I’m not going to but an extra piece of clothing just to go with those pants. Lesson learned: never buy on a whim.

• Duplicates
  I guess I don’t need three pairs of black leggings or a million grey t-shirts. Unless you have a Steve Job-like uniform, one of each item of clothing should do.

• Old favourites
  I’m looking at you, mustard yellow jumper. I’ve lived in that jumper for the past four years and loved it to bits, but the truth is, it’s not a great quality piece, it’s mostly made of acrylic, and it’s pilling and falling apart. Plus I haven’t actually worn it at all this past winter. It’s ok to let go of your old favs - take a picture of them if you’re afraid you’re going to miss them (although from personal experience, I can tell you you probably won’t).

• Clothes for your Fantasy Self
  I want to talk more about this, but your Fantasy Self is essentially the person you want to be but that realistically you are not. That person might wear silky kimonos, skinny jeans and leather ankle boots, whereas you wear hoodies, oversized t-shirts and sweatpants. I am definitely guilty of owning a few items that only my Fantasy Self would have the guts to wear. For things like these, I apply the good ol’ rule: if I haven’t worn it in the past three months (or in the past year, if it’s a seasonal item), it has to go.

Applying this strategy allowed me to downsize considerably. My current lifestyle requires me to own more things that I wish I owned (i.e. work clothes), however I’m satisfied with what I managed to declutter so far and hopefully this will keep me satiated for a while.

Stay tuned if you want to know how I dispose of the items I decide to let go of.