In today’s blog , I am not writing on Corona Virus or anything else connected with what is happening in the country. Today it will be just a general topic.
With most of the people working from home due to corona virus, people are actually saving on travel time. So most have extra time available to them, while some are getting creative, are putting up videos and pictures on social media, some are catching up with reading, watching movies and chatting with extended family. One other aspect which has come out because of lock down is that people have started cleaning their houses and minds.
Cleaning is not one of the favourite hobbies of most people. To add to this most of the people are used to buying things whether they need them or not. At times it is impulsive buying, and other time because some things are available at discounted rates during sales, people can not resist the temptation of buying. Then there may be certain things with which we are emotionally attached and hence it becomes very difficult to throw them away at the time of cleaning.
Now what to keep and what to throw during cleaning is also an art and in general terms it is known as “ The Art of Decluttering”. In the present times due to lock down, the time on hand will prompt many people into cleaning their cupboards, attics, balconies and many more areas. You may not believe it or not, it will throw up a whole lot of stuff, which we did not know existed.
Here is the guidelines for decluttering:
BOOKS- There are two kinds of books you may find among the clutter at home; those you would have bought for reading, or learning something new. Or the academic ones which are lying with you for years. There are some ways by which you can get rid of these books. Either sell them off to bookstores that accept the second hand books or donate them to a library or an organization that accept such books. One may even check out options like OLX for selling of the books. For the book lovers, it is big issue to let them go, but one can limit the choice to match the storage space available in the home, keep the important ones and let go others.
Clothes & Footwears- sometime your wardrobe may throw up some surprises for you when you start cleaning, as you may find some clothes you did not know about their existence, maybe you have forgotten about the same. Some clothes grow old but do not fade, or some have emotional attachment to it. It is tough decision which cloth to keep and which to discard. Many organisations are ready to take old clothes, as they reuse these for needy and underprivileged.
However care should be taken not to give torn, stained and shoddy clothes to such causes. Such clothes should be discarded as waste. The same goes for footwear, as without knowing we keep buying, and suddenly one day we realise that we have many of them. These too can be discarded if worn out, or handed over to those in need, if in good condition.
Other Stuff- Apart from books and clothes, you may find during cleaning activity stuff like toys, cardboard boxes, plastic covers, bags, unused utensils, cassettes, DVDs etc. For each of these you will have to find the ways to dispose them, either by donating or handing over to the needy. If nothing then they can be handed over to local Kabbadiwalas. What is important is to decide to give them off and make sure house is decluttered.
Why decluttering is important- The art of decluttering is not easy to pick up, it needs some amount of focus and discipline. Why it is important to do it? It is not just for making more space in home. There is some amount of psychology and science associated with it. Many psychologist have openly said that clutter in the house can lead to negative energies and cause lot of anxiety and stress, which can effect your physical and mental health.
You will be able to let go some emotional baggage when you throw out or decide to give away certain things. Secondly when you donate things , you are helping others who are in need. Also you may save a lot of money, when you realise what all you have been hoarding on and not using, may lead to you rethinking about your buying habits and lifestyle, as a whole. Decluttering ia an art, which needs to be mastered over time, and practiced throughout life.
I hope, above info will be useful.
Waiting for your comments/feed backs/views.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
23rd Apr 2020.
R. N. Mungale.
Very useful information.