Downsizing Part 1: We have more clutter than we think - here's why

*This post is written by Haw-San Au-Yong, Edits Inc's principal consultant*

As I mentioned in the last post, I'm in the midst of finalizing the paperwork to buy a place of my own.  So while waiting, and in anticipation of the move, I've started clearing out my cupboards to keep the moving workload to the barest minimum.  

For one, having helped our clients to move homes, some of whom called us in at the last minute, we know how stressful it is to leave the decluttering, discarding and packing until the last minute.  Secondly, having put down a large bundle of cash for the house (and soon, the renovation), I want to make the move as economical as possible.  Finally, I'd rather sink more energies into our client's relocation than my own.  So, the bottom line?  I need to pare things down as much as possible.  

Having done a major decluttering about a year and a half ago, I thought there wasn't much left to purge.  Boy, was I totally wrong.  Once again, I've proven that we humans tend to underestimate how much stuff we actually accumulate, and that time does change everything.    

Anyway, thinking that I don't have much to get rid of, I began with the paper documents in "cold storage".  And as I look through everything, I realized I've kept more than I should.  It gave me a slight panic attack.  If I've kept this much of "cold storage" items, does that mean I've overlooked the clutter in the areas that I frequently access?!  

As it turns out, after a quick glance at the remaining areas, the answer was a resounding YES!  *OMG*

In the end, I decided to turn the place upside down (one category at a time, of course) to make sure that no fluff is moved to the new place.  And yes, I did have to schedule time into my calendar over the course of the last week and a half to do it.  

All in all, it's only been about 2.5 days since the pre-move purge began, but I'm feeling lighter and happier than before.  It's almost a foreign sensation, since I didn't think there were much things to start with.  Stranger still, it's given me a greater determination to be even stricter about what I allow into my living environment.  Today, when someone (who found out about this personal project) commented that I'll probably be buying more things soon to fill the void, I found myself answering with a firm and automatic "NO" even before my brain could register what I was saying. 

So, moral of the story?  We have more clutter than we think we do.  And if you're thinking of decluttering, get started on it today - the very fact that you're thinking about it means you need it (trust me). 

On a related (and happy) note, I'm glad to report that my collection of papers have been chopped from 3 shelves to just ONE (see bottom half of picture).  Minimalism, here I come!