Freedom from Hoarding Disorder 5: My Vision

Note: The articles in this series were originally posted on Better, like others on this website. But unlike the others, which I have slightly edited for this new context, I have decided to leave these just as they were. This is the most recent of them – see below the date of original publication. Although they go back a while, I would still really appreciate your fresh engagement and contributions in the comments!

May 31, 2020

I’ve been intentionally decluttering for 4 years, and I’m so grateful for it. I came across a couple of pieces of paper with some scribbled notes from the beginning of the process.

They contain my vision, and I realize now how much it helped me to have taken the time to think through it at the time, and have those definite idea(l)s in my mind while I was working away, instead of some vague ‘shoulds’. No ‘should’ could have sustained me over these years as my vision has done.

Here’s what my notes said:

Why I Declutter

+ in order to spend less time managing ‘stuff’

+ for the aesthetic value of a tidy, clean, serene-looking home

+ so I can clean more effectively and in less time

+ so that I am only surrounded with things our family finds useful and beautiful and which bring us joy

+ so that I am not distracted from what matters most to me (getting to know God & worshipping Him; becoming a better person; spending time with my family; creating beautiful & useful things).

Simple Living

+ living with fewer things

+ no rushing about

+ having long periods of time to devote to one type of activity

I hope they might be inspiring to someone else out there!

What is not on the notes, because it was an insight I got later on in the process, is that one of the main benefits decluttering has had for me is better mental health. I cannot overstate the transformational effect that ‘less stuff’ has had on my mind, my mood, and consequently my whole life and the life of my family. So if I were to write such notes again today, this will be at the head of the list:

+ so that I maintain a clear and healthy mind.