Simple Self Improvement

                                                                                      Image:Bill Kasman from Pixabay Today's happiness tip follows on from yesterday's when I wrote about simplifying life. Today's tip is consider decluttering your life if you haven't already done so. The term declutter was first recorded in the mid twentieth century but I don't recall hearing it until the current century. When I got married in the nineteen seventies I was much too busy acquiring and accumulating things for my new home to think of the possibility of ever having too much stuff! However, a time did come when I decided I had too many things and needed to part with some. It has been an ongoing process for me....

                                                                                     Image: Steve Buissinne from Pixabay Recently I watched several You Tube videos where people talk about things they no longer purchase. There are things I don't buy now that I did years ago when I had young children, was in the paid workforce or owned a car. As well there are things I have more recently decided I don't need to buy or choose not to out of concern for the environment or to save a few dollars. On the other hand there are many things I didn't buy when I moved ou...

                                                                  Title added to design by ElisaRiva from Pixabay There are numerous 'forces' that can attract clutter to one's home! From time to time you may find things you didn't buy or ask for have somehow made their way into your castle. The freebie Have you ever ordered something from a mail order catalogue and received a free item such as an alarm clock because your order was over a certain amount? You didn't order the extra item. Occasionally the freebie is something you find useful. Sometimes you may be able to give it to someone who can make use of it. However, many times you don't need it and the it...

Shops in Adelaide                                            Image:Marie Vonow In the days leading up to officially starting this personal shopping ban challenge I must admit I was tempted to do a bit of 'binge shopping' at a couple of op shops. Also, I kept thinking about a salmon pink cardigan I had seen at KMart that I liked. I managed to resist temptation and now, three weeks later, that cardigan doesn't seem important. How does clutter accumulate? I have thought a lot about how much stuff one accumulates even when trying to declutter and keep from accumulating new clutter. It occurred to me it isn't surprising stuff accumulates over the years. I married and moved into my first home (apart from my childhood home) in 1975 which is now 44 years ago. Now, say I acq...

Clay tiles Whitmore Square Adelaide                       Image:Marie Vonow Having moved house at the start of 2019 and having decluttered (again!) before moving, I thought I had this decluttering thing worked out. However, for me it is an ongoing process. A different house means I no longer use some things I previously did and it means I have found it necessary to acquire a few things I didn't need in my previous house. What should I do with items I am not using now? Now, what should I do about the things I don't currently need? Could I possibly need them in the future? Perhaps and perhaps not. Should I hold onto them or set them free? Mostly, I have decided to donate what I no longer need to op shops or give away through Gumtree. I have sold a couple of items too. Thinking before I buy I am thinking carefully before making any new purchas...

A person's mind can be just as cluttered as a physical space             Image:Adapted from Pixabay The topic of clutter is frequently discussed in magazine articles and on the internet. When we hear the word ‘clutter’ we usually think of physical surplus items that have accumulated over the years. Emotional bits and pieces are another form of clutter which can weigh us down.    This emotional clutter can be in the form of decisions you haven’t made or tasks you keep putting off. This type of clutter holds you back as much as physical clutter and can drain your energy making you feel tired and overwhelmed. There are times when you know you aren’t in the right frame of mind to make certain important decisions and it is wise to leave them for a while. After a time you may find yourself able to deal with them. Sometimes these decisions are left for a long time because you continue to find you can’t face sorting them out. ...