5 Decluttering Lies That Are Keeping You Stuck

over the last several years I have had so much fun decluttering my home in life giving away things that used to matter but don't anymore gaining Clarity prioritizing my values and pursuing more meaningful work that's a big one but I was only able to do these things because of two reasons number one I view decluttering as a means to create my life rather than strip away the life I have and number two I woke up to the many lies I believed about decluttering that kept me stuck now changing my perspective toward decluttering and unsubscribing to the lies I once swore by put me on a path filled with decluttering success which has also been extremely fun so today I want to debunk five of the most believed lies about decluttering they're likely keeping you stuck on your journey and as it turns out these are the lies I also believed let's get started lie number one the cluttering is only about the physical stuff I started decluttering in 2016 and like most people I devoted my attention to the material things cluttering my home the unworn clothes piled high in my closet and the knickknacks scattered across my living room and for a while I was making significant progress the excitement I felt from watching my physical environment change right in front of me was a fuel that kept me digging for more stuff to declutter but after a month or so I hit a wall and I began to struggle although my home was slowly morphing into the clutter-free space you see my YouTube videos today my life outside of the house was still very cluttered I'm talking about my mental space my emotional space my finances my commitment to my relationships all of these areas were the complete opposites of clutter-free and intentional but this reality was the truth I needed to accept if I wanted to get unstuck and truly declutter my life so I did I started journaling and writing poetry to help me declutter my headspace and my emotions I started paying off my debts and on top of that I uncommitted from things and people who were not serving me or adding value to my life so why did I share this with you here's the wisdom I want you to walk away with taking a holistic approach to decluttering it can bring greater Clarity and balance to your life now don't get me wrong having a home filled with less stuff is truly an amazing feeling and there are so many benefits but if you are on this journey to create a life filled with less clutter and more clarity then you have to look outside of your home and declutter those areas as well and I know it's easy to watch my videos and maybe other creators you enjoy and see our clutter-free homes and feel inspired but just know that there is more to this journey than a clutter-free home that is my goal on this channel to continue to show you that so unsubscribe from this first lie immediately all right lie number two decluttering and staying clutter free is impossible with kids okay let's debunk this when Alexis and I got confirmation that we were pregnant with our first child a flood of emotions poured over me excitement nervousness overwhelm and a small piece of me was worried about how we were going to maintain our clutter-free lives with a growing family on top of this many people I knew personally kept asking me about minimalism in my YouTube channel and making comments like good luck trying to own less you're going to need a lot of stuff or my favorite when our kids were younger we had insert laundry list of needs so be prepared now after answering many questions and conversing with various people I knew I realized how many people believed this lie and how many of them wanted me to believe it too but I wasn't convinced now I also wasn't going to act like a know-it-all either because after all I was becoming a first-time dad and this was completely new to me but I still wasn't convinced check this out now that I've been a dad for nearly nine months I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that it is possible to declutter and stay clutter free with kids and that includes a newborn now as our son grows I will continue to share everything that works for us but here's how we've navigated this so far communicated with family often and early staying clutter free with kids helps when you don't have a massive influx of unnecessary stuff coming in I tell people all the time who ask that our family has been very supportive and respectful of our lifestyle choices but I do understand that not everyone has that luxury which is why my go-to wisdom here is open communication often and early only by what is needed let's talk clothing for example our son has a small six drawer dresser in his room and four of those six drawers contain all the clothes he needs from day one to 12 months that's it we've managed to do this because one we're not buying anything beyond 12 months until he gets closer to that age but we've also created a bit of a capsule wardrobe baby Edition so everything can Mitch Match with everything so it keeps it simple and easy and if you're curious he does have some fun and playful pieces in his wardrobe as well prioritize experiences over more stuff now this one is fairly straightforward but to give you a quick example we took our son hiking a few weeks ago out in Colorado along with my brother and my parents and to say that he loved the views would be an understatement toy rotations is another thing that we're doing and to do this effectively we've set boundaries for toy storage in our home and from that storage space we rotate the number of Toys we have out at a time for a son to play with doing this doesn't overwhelm him with too many options nor does it visually overwhelm our home by making us feel cluttered and as an added bonus because we've set storage boundaries for toys it's helping us to manage what we have and what our son enjoys so we don't end up with a toy store in our home if you know what I mean and lastly we skipped the unnecessary gadgets now I want to mention that it's necessary to recognize that every child's needs differ which is why I can only fairly speak from our experience when I say that many other things that we were told that we'd need and would make owning less complicated we never bought and still haven't bought for example a jumper a baby walker you know the little Gadget that the baby sits in and can kind of roam walk around scoot around and a dedicated diaper bag and that's just to name a few things so if you have kids or plan to someday I want to encourage you to swim against the current on this belief as we have and stay true to the fact that decluttering and staying clutter free is possible with kids lie number three I'm worried my home will look boring one misconception about decluttering is the belief that it requires eliminating all color and personality from your home okay I often receive questions about why mineralists tend to decorate their homes using monochromatic colors and ironically my home decor choices reflects the very essence of these questions but if I put myself in your shoes I understand your reservations about decluttering and not one of your homes to feel boring however boring is subjective and based on my experience owning a vibrant red couch and a subtle missed gray couch I can confidently assure you that there is no relationship between the process of decluttering the color scheme of your decor and how your home feels to you you see it's crucial to remember that a decluttered life is filled with things you value and if you love color embrace it there are numerous ways to incorporate color into your home closets and life without it feeling overwhelmed or cluttered so I encourage you to stay true to you there's a reason I say that at the end of every one of my videos lie number four my identity is tied to my possessions before I started my decluttering journey I strongly believed that my identity was closely tied to my possessions and for a long time this belief held me back as the idea of letting go of my belongings felt like losing parts of myself but an aha occurred when I posed a question to myself who would I be if all I had was myself in a mirror in front of me who would I be if all I had was myself in a mirror in front of me this question challenged my thinking and helped me realize two things number one the notion that my identity relied on my possessions was a significant falsehood it just just wasn't true right and number two our identity is not defined by what we own it is shaped by our character values achievements experiences and contributions to the world so if you're also holding on to this misconception I urge you to release it because embracing this truth will Empower you to embark on a decluttering journey that Fosters personal growth self-discovery and the creation of an environment that aligns with your authentic self lie number five I'm wasting money before decluttering I had a closet filled with more clothes and shoes than I could ever wear most were either worn once or brand new with tags and on them and if I'm honest this made it challenging to declutter because it felt like I was wasting money every time I attempted to let something go so I had a tough decision to make do I keep everything and lie to myself about wearing it someday or do I let things go and realize that the money I'm trying not to waste is already gone in the midst of this tug of war I learned a valuable lesson holding on to unused or unnecessary possessions can be more wasteful in the long run than the perceived loss of the initial investment here's why the first reason is because of something called opportunity costs you see keeping things that no longer serve a purpose takes a valuable space in our homes and lives by decluttering we create space for new experiences opportunities and items that align with our values or our current needs and desires the second reason is something called maintenance costs here's the thing possessions require time and effort to clean maintain and store the more you own the more you have to manage Again by decluttering we can minimize these costs associated with upkeep allowing us to focus our resources on more meaningful activities and experiences but as great as that sounds it doesn't mean anything if you continue to believe any of these five lies which can and will be detrimental to your decluttering journey causing you to remain stuck decluttering is only about the physical stuff lie decluttering and staying clutter free is impossible with kids that's a lie I'm worried my home will look boring again another lie my identity is tied to my possessions lie and I'm wasting money that's also a lie proceed to avoid this detrimental path you must change your perspective toward decluttering and unsubscribe from these lies for good do that and you will make more decluttering progress while having a ton of fun along the way keep growing on your journey my friend I'm rooting for you because I want you to win when it comes to this decluttering thing I really do always stay true to you and I see the next one peace

Channel: Ronald L. Banks

Views: 88,996

Keywords: how to declutter, minimalism, decluttering, simple living, decluttering tips, decluttering mistakes, decluttering advice, minimalism series, Ronald L Banks decluttering, how to declutter your life, minimalist mindset, minimalism with kids, minimalist living, clutter free home, clutter free habits

Id: -bkTuM3sX9o

Length: 11min 48sec (708 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 19 2023