7 Effective Ways To De-Junk Your Life
March 30 by Seth Simonds 414 Shares | Featured, Lifestyle, Productivity
If you purge your life of random belongings, bad habits, and unsatisfying relationships you’ll be left with something scary: time and space. What you do with all the extra time and space in your life after putting these tips into action is something we can discuss in the comments.
Better yet, I’ll grab a bunch of readers and we’ll swing by your house to help you clean out this evening. Fun idea, right? Too soon? Okay. Pick one of the following and see where it takes you. It’s time to de-junk your life!
1. Say something honest every day
Lies are rubbish. You don’t need them in your life. You might find some justification to lie to others but that justification only comes after a lie to yourself about the importance of truth. What to do? Take something you were planning on talking about already and be honest in your conversation. Being honest is a lot like lying in that it gets easier with practice.
2. Make a list of 7 things you can’t replace
You can start the next meme on Facebook with this if you like. No matter what it takes to get you started, the important thing is that you take the time to figure out what stuff really matters to you. Writing down the things you’d escape a house fire with will help you look at the things you’ve surrounded yourself with in a different way. Do you really need that inflatable killer whale? Do you actually play that piano? What you do once you’ve prioritized your stuff is up to you. My experience says that you’ll probably get rid of some junk as a result.
3. Make a list of 5 people you can’t live without
This isn’t a list you should publicize unless you want to deal with hurt feelings from your greater social group. Keep it private but make your resulting actions tangible and as public as needed for them to count. If you like, continue your list with a relationship maintenance schedule. Stop kidding yourself about the value of spontaneity and make sure you’re actually keeping in touch with the people who matter to you. You already use Facebook to keep track of birthdays. No excuses.
4. Move into a smaller home
This is simple. If your couch won’t fit in the new place, you can’t take it with you. Smaller spaces have a way of reminding us that open areas actually are important and should be preserved. The moving process itself should help get rid of some of your junk. If it doesn’t, you’ll be faced with all your extra things on a daily basis until you take care of them.
5. Become a vegan for 3 months
Jump off the fast food train for a few months and try the world of vegan cuisine. I don’t suggest this because I think the world should be vegan but because I’ve seen what a dramatic change in diet can do to your perspective on life. When you avoid animal products you turn your back on a lot of the processed junk we accept as food. Give yourself a chance to discover new foods, different recipes, and find new ways to respond to feeling hungry. After 3 months? You might return to eating animal products but you’ll never be able to go back all the way. I’m glad I didn’t.
6. Quit your job
You don’t have to actually quit your job for this to work. Just pretend you’ve quit and map out your next few steps. Will you change careers, go back to school, move to a difference city, or something else? For most of us, our job is the biggest deciding factor in what we do with our lives. It’s how we make our money and what we spend most of our time doing. So what would you do if you no longer had your job? Start planning. You might be surprisingly thrilled at what you discover.
7. Train for an endurance race
I’m a chubby dude so the reality of running a 50-mile race is still quite far in the future. That doesn’t mean I don’t get a huge amount of value from the process though. With every mile I’m reminded of all the junk I once ate and am inspired to get leaner and faster. For now, it’s not about speed. It’s about picking a distance and completing it without stopping. Those successes carry over into every other part of my life as I face new challenges and make daily choices about what I’ll allow to take up my time. If you have a friend who trains regularly, ask them to tell you about the stress relief that endurance training provides. It continues to amaze me how much mental junk disappears during a workout. Try it!
What do you do to de-junk your life? Do you have a tried and true process that allows you to keep your house clear of clutter and your mind free to create? The process of de-junking can be arduous and downright scary at times. I’m still in the thick of it as I write this but I’ve got a long string of successes to look back on and remind myself that I can get through today’s challenges just as I have those in the past. Can you say the same for yourself? If not, grab one of the tips I shared or one from a commenter and see if you can create a success story for yourself. We’ll be here to celebrate your win!
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Hi Seth. These are great ways to de-junk your life. Two things come to mind after reading this post – one is keeping organized and the other one is keeping things simple. For me, keeping organized, whether it’s my laptop or my room has given me more clarity to do my work more effectively. Keeping things simple, rather than multitasking, worrying about things that don’t really matter, or living in the past or the future, has helped me stay clear of emotional barriers. It’s important that we stay conscious of what kind of “junk” is cluttering up our lives, or we will be slowed down without even realizing it.
@Hulbert – Getting rid of the extra stuff makes the organization part much easier. I definitely agree that a clean house inspires organized thinking.
I read a story once about a woman who’s house burned down to the ground and all she had left were her kids and her dog. It made her realize that all that “stuff” she had in her house really meant nothing and could absolutely live without. She gathered up her family and moved to Hawaii and, apparently, lives very simply now, growing her own food and loving every minute of it.
Btw, I quit my job everyday (in my own head) lol. Someday I just might :) Just need to tweak the back up plan a bit more. As usual, thanks for the great post.
These are great and big steps. I’m intrigued about thinking about them more. In the meantime one of my small tricks to declutter my life is to walk into a room now and again and choose one item that won’t be missed if removed. Then I donate it the Goodwill.
Yeah, I really like this post. Everythin. De-junking and purging unnecessary *life* clutter is essential. Embrace space, listen, tell silly jokes, surround yourself with love & truth! Thanks, Seth.
Also, move into a studio apt? check.
I’ve always been a lurker here, but you wrote this post just after I decided to start purging my belongings. For me, the easiest way to do it is if I feel like I’m able to give things I never use to someone else who will use them. I decided to pick one type of thing every week (this week was cosmetics, next week is clothes) to get rid of and then I post it on my local freecycle list. If you haven’t heard of it, go to freecycle.org and check it out. What an awesome way to get rid of your stuff (and occasionally get some free things you need, too).
Hi, Seth. Great post which I forwarded to all of my children. I am 62 years old, and started de-junking just before retirement at the age of 60. I have given away at least over half of my library, but it’s been really hard to do over an interval of two years. I still have a long way to go. You should hear the inner excuses for not going this way.
The hardest part is getting rid of failed associations or relationships.
I really take a lot insight from the comment above about the lady whose house got burnt, and will apply this to my case, just imagining my house got burnt.
Keep it up! Thanks.
Mohammad Mulla
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Very nice post! Quitting your job/trying vegan for a month is sound advice. I’m a pure meat eater but trying out vegan would be a challenge. Also, the whole job thing – its better if you just never get a job and work towards your own projects, ah the deal world!
I think I might systematically go through all those steps, except 4 (I live at 10m2, which is already way too small), 6 (I am going to start something new after summer, so you might say I’ve already done this one) and 7 (I absolutely hate running, and I already cycle about 14km a day, but I am planning on doing a bit more of sports during/after summer).
And maybe another idea, going basic camping for a while (just with a tent, your clothes and maybe a good book), really makes you realise you really don’t need much. This realisation might also help in the de-junk process.
I just found out about the concept of ‘lifehacking’ by the way, and I absolutely love it! And this seems one of the nicest websites around, yay!
Interesting post. For a second there, you were serious about quitting the job. LoL. I dunno if I could do that just yet. And the vegan part…there is a thing they call cleansing diet wherein you only eat fruits everyday. It’s supposed to cleanse the body (hence the name) due to the antioxidants present in the fruits.
PS..Of course there are other ways to de-stress and de-junk life, like this http://budurl.com/r5ub inspirational story I’ve read.
Nice mix. You touch on something that perhaps could use more emphasis though – the value of support in doing these things. Personally, I’m looking forward to that bunch of readers showing up to help with the heavy lifting.
#4 is the best thing that MOST people should do. Unless you have 6 children you dont need that 3500 sq foot home. A couple can comfortably live in a 600 sq foot apartment AND have a spare bedroom/office for guests. For some reason here in the USA we believe that a couple NEEDS a 4500 sq foot home with 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. You dont. Honestly Less is more, I prefer having 1 really nice Chef’s knife in my kitchen than having a knife block with 30 different gourmet knives.
Reduce, simplify, get rid of stuff, purge un-needed space. My wife and I prefer not wasting time maintaining a large home and a yard and instead spend the time doing what we want. Plus we now have 1/2 the monthly bills so we have more income to do bigger vacations, etc… Smaller space = far lower utility bills. I cut electricity by 2/3rds, and almost 3/4 on AC costs.
Forgot one… there is some people that got to extremes… to see how little you really need to live comfortably check out http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ there are many many singles and couples living in the same space that many of you have for your bathroom.
@Mary – Sometimes it takes a shocking experience to get us to change. It shouldn’t take a house burning though! I’m glad she was okay.
@Russell – Big steps with a few smaller ones between can be good. Donating the extra stuff you don’t need is great.
@Maura – Just as long as it has a high ceiling. =)
@Libby – I’m glad you decided to speak up. Freecycle is great!
@Momuone – The thing about the failed relationships that always gets me is that a lot of the “junk” involved is of my own making, not the other person’s. Figuring that all out and making things right for all involved is a lot of work but I’m always delighted when I carry it through.
@Craig – Go vegan, you wild carnivore! Let me know how it goes? It’s surely worth a try.
@Nuke – Glad to have you! I like the idea of basic camping. It’s good to get a sense of what you really need in order to survive and push away the extras.
@Megan – Not sure about the cleansing diet or going to a spa but if it works for you, great!
@Jason – Tomorrow, 5:30am. Have coffee ready. =P The lifehack challenges seem to be helping people with the community pressure to get things done. New one soon!
@Timgray – Those houses are SMALL! Great points about the benefits of moving into a smaller place. I’m glad it’s worked out so well for you!
Ah, what a good idea to take a holistic approach at de-cluttering – That is, to not only focus on the external clutter, but also on the “mess” in our body and in our mind. I am in the hospitality business, so moving every few years is part of life. As things usually go, you accumulate a lot of stuff over time. However, when moving, I reduce all my belongings to 2 suitcases and 1 backpack – I’ve worked out a formula for myself: my belongings should not weigh more than myself. The more often you do this excercise, the easier it gets. Positive side effect: you gradually stop buying useless stuff, as you already know you will have to get rid of it.
Regarding number 3, become vegan for three months. I think that your statement, “When you avoid animal products you turn your back on a lot of the processed junk we accept as food,” is false. Yes, there is a lot of processing involved with our food system and because of this I make the choice to only eat organic food; including meat, fish, and dairy products. The enemy isn’t eating animals, the enemy is the way that our food is produced and the way that they treat the animals in most mainstream meat processing. My argument to you thought is that you CAN still eat meat, you just need to make responsible choices about what meat you eat. Choosing (actual) free range organic chicken, grass fed free range organic beef, organic dairy products, and sustainable fish. These are all things that I do as a result of seeing the horrors of what goes into our food in America. I feel that by making responsible choices, one can still eat meat and not feel guilty.
Yes, some very good advice. Especially quitting your job and having a dramatic change in diet!
Great post, especially the going vegan part which everyone should do!
Brandon beat me to it.
Damn Likehack, dont go there. The major fallacy in veganism prevailing is that they dont eat processed food, but look at all the processed, vegan, gluten free foods on the market. My co-op even creates these vegan concoctions that are soy/gluten/corn/agave time bombs. Its laughable whats in alot of these vegan foods. Also most vegans rely on soy for their main protein source and that is very highly processed and damaging to the body, besides the fact that 98% of it is genetically modified.
Simplifying food really is about streamlining your sources, find a local pasture based farm, commit to getting your meat locally sourced and grow your own veggies or shop at a co-op.
And to the all fruit diet, Id urge you to research the effect of fructose overconsumption.
Omnivores baby!
@Brandon & indy – For most 1st-worlders, it’s a good idea to take a break from animal products. Helps with a change in perspective.
Hmm, I do agree with indy that you can replace the vegan-point with a ‘no processed food’-point. That will also make you more aware about what you eat, and will therefore probably lead to more conscious choices about what to eat.
Going from eating everything to veganism is incredibly hard and time-consuming, even for a ex-vegetarian like me. Also, it is probably going to cost more, since veggies and (especially) vegan stuff for on bread is way more expensive than cheese.
/NR
Regarding honesty, Paul Valèry once said that we lie because we do not think that our interlocutor can fully understand us. Sometimes it is just a matter of explaining things in some more detail -even to ourselves, sometimes. But I guess the “simplified version” is enough for us most of the times.
#1 Most of the time telling the truth is good idea, but some white lies are necessary in this poli-tic-al and wage-slave world of illusion, to keep and take back what freedom we can.
#2 Not much I can’t replace, but plenty of stuff it would be inconvenient, expensive or impractical to replace.
#3 None, I’m a lone wolf! Everyone dies and I have little need of my aging relations, although neighbor and work colleague allies have been helpful, on occasion.
#4 Already in a modest house, but large enough to have space and to hoard stuff.
#5 Not likely; eating less processed, more caveman like, food seems far more sensible.
#6 I’ve done the lost job, desperate work, then University stage, and never want to get that desperate again, so have loads of safe value, so could tell boss to go swivel!
#7 Not likely, there are smarter ways to get healthy, like cycling; Marathons are bad for your health, they can cause heart attacks, even in the healthy!
@Seth
I strongly disagree with “@Brandon & indy – For most 1st-worlders, it’s a good idea to take a break from animal products. “. Ironically most of use eat too much grain, vegetable oils, bad drinks, and too little high quality grass fed meat. We have always been omnivores, by necessity, because meat contains nutrients which we can’t get in usable forms and useful amounts elsewhere.
Good list – though you don’t have to go vegan. That’s a big step. Just go real food only.
Keeping a clean and calm home really makes a difference. A cluttered and messy home is stressful.
1 more tip – We got rid of television probably close to 10 years ago. Its a mind numbing time waster, and it makes you fat on top of it ;-)
I enjoyed reading this list, and I might take a few of these to heart. Already live in a small apartment, though, and I’m not willing to get any smaller than that!
I think people are missing the point of the ‘go vegan’ idea. It’s not so much a lifestyle change as just a step back from what we take for granted, which is what this post is entirely about. Seth isn’t recommending that everyone go vegan for the rest of their lives, he’s just suggesting that people try something different, away from the heavily commercialized products that 90% of the North American population reaches for.
Yes, we’re omnivores. Yes, we need certain nutrients in order to function as we have for this long. But it certainly won’t kill you to pass up a pork chop or two, and grab some carrots instead.
What great suggestions! I love how you think outside the traditional organizing boxes. There are so many ways to clear and de-junk. I’ve been working as a professional organizer and feng shui practitioner for 10 years so I’ve seen what can happen when people aren’t conscientious about making sure that stuff leaves their physical space on a regular basis. From an energy perspective, all those things block the flow of life-giving energy in your life. People get stuck when they have too much stuff! I advise people to “love it, use it or lose it.” If you love an item or use it at least once a year, it’s energy is positive and worthy of taking up residence in your space. If it’s not loved or used at least once a year, it’s energy goes dead and becomes negative. You should definitely consider losing that type of item!
I sense a bias in #3 (5 people you can’t live without): you assume at most a nuclear family. What about families like 19 kids and counting? Just pickin’ – but. . .
I have more than 5 siblings that I’d put on the list. Definitely not a number I’d have on my personal list. =)
Nice ideas, I’m going to follow them in my own way
1) I’m going to be more honest, I’d like to think I say more than 1 honest thing a day.
2 and 4 going to continue decluttering, not going to do a 100 things challenge, just keep only stuff I use.
3) made a list of people I can’t live without. Only 3 people on that list, plenty for me.
5) already did this, although it was only for a month. Changed my worldview more than my diet and therefore something I’d really really recommend to other people. I was a paleo before but got sick of the “I’m a paleo and found the holy grail of diet attitude” and well i missed bread and eating with others as well (said i’d be more honest ). Grains are not evil, do not make you fat and not all vegans are militant. Meat doesn’t actually taste that great to me, tuna and clams do though. Quinoa and buckwheat have become favourites of mine. After going back to eating some meat i found out a lot of really expensive grass fed, organic meats that i used to buy are still not a guarantee animals have had a decent life. Now i eat a diet including everything but just really good quality, some grains a lot of organic vegetables, some fish and shellfish and sometimes just what others put on the table. I don’t agree with all the vegan arguments but do understand them better and agree with some of them, especially those on the environment. it’s unlikely i’ll ever be a real vegan. For people who think going vegan is to extreme, and yes it is quite extreme it might be an idea to dive into the reasons behind it and pick out the good things about it and try those. Instead of going vegan I’m going to explore Christianity, I’m pretty much the complete hate- religion-atheist but think it’s time to stop being so anti.
6) have just started a new job, have accepted that there’s no job on earth that’s perfect and allow myself to occaisionally bitch and moan about it as long as I enjoy my job most of the time which I do.
7)Hate sports, have enough trouble keeping up with my current keep it fit program, enough challenge for me, not an athlete will never be, absolutely ok with that, rather do other stuff.
I can tell whether I am up or down by the state of my home office. Cluttered = down. Neat = up. I find that tackling at least some of the clutter helps buoy my mood and make the downs less intense.
I try to keep as much as possible hidden behind doors and off my desk. I’ve got about an acre of desk and still it’s a constant battle.
having recently sold my home and moved into an apartment half the size (at age 49), i am living a few of these suggestions at the moment. i spent the last 3 days going through boxes of old photos, newspapers, memorbilia, and wasn’t quite prepared for the emotional and physical drain it had on me. so here’s another tip: really THINK before you save something. most stuff you will never look at again and it just takes up time and resources. anyway, great list and thanks to the person who recommended freecycle.org!
[...] is a passion of mine. Stepcase Lifehack talked about “7 Effective Ways To De-Junk Your Life – Stepcase Lifehack”. I really like the one “Quit Your Job” (except that you don’t have to quit [...]
[...] I’m sure I could come up with seven different ideas, but these are some to get started, or start brainstorming with. Source: Lifehack 7 Effective Ways to De-Junk Your Life [...]
[...] off the fast food train for a few months and try the world of vegan cuisine. I don’t suggest this because I think the world should be vegan but because I’ve seen [...]
well, if you really want to be healthy, i believe that veggan foods are the best ‘.:
My friend has been doing the vegan thing and eating ‘clean’, as well as working out. She says that a cup of peppermint tea after dinner quenches her sweets cravings… I don’t know, I de junked my house but I still need my chocolate!
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