Declutter

A click and an otp or a pin or QR code scanned and one more item added to the vast paraphernalia of things we think we need but most likely we end up not using it or postponing its use to another day. The mania of shopping and the fear of missing out on the opportunity to avail a time limited discount are the traps which pull you into acquisitions which are unnecessary or in some cases harmful. There are two problems here which are the root cause of clutter creation. Desire and mostly mimetic desire and a weak scattered mind which succumbs to the algorithms of social media and advertising. If the truth is so self evident than why this blog and what does my experience tell me that I can share. To be honest I am a victim of this mania and I have  lot of clutter too. 

I came across this book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and felt that it is time to reflect on this aspect of life. Death is the only certain event in every creatures life. “Putting your house in order, if you can do it, is one of the most comforting activities, and the benefits of it are incalculable.” This is the quoted tag line of this book. Putting house in order is fine but if you can do it is the tough line. It may seem convenient if someone else can do it or it rather it happen on its own something like the scene in Mary Poppins the difference being a cleanup and getting rid of the unwanted stuff. As we are reaching a stage when many of us have lost or are close to losing their parents we have experienced the difficulty of decluttering. Shifting house, changing jobs and recalibrating priorities in life become occasions for decluttering.  

I think the precondition to physical decluttering is mental decluttering and unless we work in that direction, it is not easy to really declutter. The advertising world, social media and the shopping giants have made shopping so easy that it is becoming a compulsive habit forming affair. In addition the "did you forget or similar things or the prompt of those who bought this also bought this to accompany it" are all traps of consumerism. All these create an algorithm designed to lure you into buying stuff. Many of us even while realising get sucked into the ladder of desire. Mimetic desire or wanting what you see others have is a common ailment affecting a majority of us. In this the concept of thick and thin desires come in and obviously something which one wants based on an impulse or emotion without analysis is a likely future clutter item. However, a few things bought on impulse have proved to be invaluable. These are right and left brain functions.  

Technology is a great declutterer and digitizing data can really help. Defragmenting and optimizing drives is useful too. Kindle ebook reader is the ultimate decluttering tool in mylife. However, the tendency to click and receive images eats up digital space and needs to be curbed too. I have also failed to understand how one can go on clicking pictures and forget to experience what one is witnessing especially as tourist. 

Fear of Missing out and the inability to say no to what one does no need especially when it is coming free are the two great enemies of Decluttering. 

Conclusion: 

• I will begin by reading about döstädning which means death cleaning.
• Categorize the items i need to declutter taking one category per month for example clothes and linen, books, electronic items, papers etc. 
• Use left brain more than right. 
• Everytime i think of buying something new it should replace something old. 
• Reducing my greed and buying only that which I need is also going to bed my priority. 
• Overcome the fear of missing out and doing one thing at a time are easier said than done. 

Vispi Jokhi