One of my favorite quotes in the world:
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” (by William Morris)
This quote makes my heart sing. I find it the perfect instruction for anyone struggling with clutter – I mean, how nicer can it get than “useful and beautiful?
Stuff is just stuff until we attach some value to it. And that value can be:
- Monetary
- Emotional
- Useful
- Beautiful
- Positive
- Negative
The trick is to decide which value(s) matter most to you and then apply that as you’re de-cluttering.
Often, we hold onto things because they have emotional or monetary value. If however, you decide it’s more important that things be functional (useful) and beautiful, then it’s easier to make the call that it’s time to get rid of the shell mirror gifted to you by your great aunt (because while it may be functional you don’t find it to be beautiful).
Begin by deciding what your values are (like useful and beautiful). Then thoughtfully de-clutter using that frame of mind.
Make Some Room,
Angie
P.S. Thanks for forwarding this note on to anyone you think could benefit.
[…] Her methodology speaks directly to an earlier post I wrote about decluttering your stuff. […]