THE START OF A LONG, DECLUTTERING JOURNEY
The experts acknowledged that when a sentimental person is asked to let go of items he or she treasures, it is not as easy as just “throwing out things”.
They offered these practical tips to get started:
If a person is averse to cleaning up because they worry that it would take too much time, Ms Avanti from Talk Your Heart Out suggested activating a timer for 15 minutes and see how much one can get done in that slot of time.
“I think you’d be surprised at your own productivity. And it’ll help you be more proactive the next time you need to make some space,” she said.
Ms Ricaud from Get Organised and Beyond said that at times, she would hold back her clients from hastily throwing away their beloved items, much to the clients’ surprise.
She explained that if a person feels pressured to do so and feel regret over losing the item, it would only make the decluttering experience more negative for them and they would be reluctant to do so in the future.
Instead, she suggested that for a sentimentalist like me, I should “build up confidence” in my decision-making process by clearing the least sentimental items first and then work towards tackling the more prized possessions.
Ms Ricaud suggested sorting my collection of beloved items into categories or groups – such as greeting cards, memorabilia from trips, or farewell gifts from a former workplace.
More often than not when doing this, a person might come to a realisation that there are some items within each category that they do not treasure as much and are willing to let go or that they have enough items to represent a specific memory, time or person in their life already, so it would be easier to part with some things.
- Focus on the emotion, not the item
The experts said that it is useful to bear in mind that the memories of one’s life experiences do not reside in the items they keep, although it is understandable that people keep them as tangible reminders.
Mr Toh from The Other Clinic suggested writing down the memories or stories associated with these objects in a journal or digital file.
“This keeps memories alive without the physical clutter, allowing space to reflect on experiences rather than the objects themselves,” he said.
- Find meaningful ways to keep the keepsakes
Ultimately, Ms Ricaud said that since the intention to keep sentimental items is to cherish the memories linked to them, it is only fitting that the items are kept or displayed in a meaningful manner rather than being tucked away in hard-to-access boxes gathering dust.
Treasure your children’s drawings? Compile them into an album (or better still, digitise them to save even more space) so that it makes it easier not only for you but also other family members to browse them and reminisce about the good times together.
“If (the items) have a meaning in your life, I think you need to use or see them so you can really enjoy them. Keeping those things at the back of a cupboard might defeat the purpose of keeping them,” she added.
