Inside: Material possessions and physical items are not the only things that clutter up our lives. There are also non-material things to declutter in order to live our best lives. This post will share 7 of those things we can declutter that aren’t really things.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Click here to read what that means.
The start of a new year is a great time to think about decluttering your home of material things you no longer want or need. In fact, when you think about decluttering, your physical possessions are probably what most people think of.
Have you ever stopped to think about all the OTHER stuff that is in your life that doesn’t serve you? I am talking about the things that aren’t material possessions. Even though you can’t necessarily pick these things up in your hands and touch them, they could still be contributing to the clutter and stress in your life.
In this post, I will share 7 things to declutter from your life that aren’t actual things.
A Word About this list
Everyone’s list will look different and what everyone considers to be clutter is quite different as well. Think of this list as a starting point and something you can pick and choose from, rather than a prescriptive list of things to remove. There may be other things you want to focus on that aren’t on this list, and that is great as well!
I recommend picking just one thing from the list and consider making one baby step towards a more clutter-free life. Once you make your choice, let us know what you picked in the comments so we can cheer you on!
7 things to declutter from your life that aren’t really things
#1 Negative Mindsets
How many times do you say you SHOULD do something? Or you HAVE TO do something? Every time we say something like that to ourselves we are putting pressure on us to do something we don’t really want to do. And when we DON’T do these things, that’s where the GUILT and the SHAME come in. All of these unhelpful emotions are causing unnecessary stress and burden on our bodies.
Let’s make a choice this year to remove these unhelpful words from our vocabularies. And instead, focus on making small progress on things that we actually want to change.
If you are struggling with negative mindsets, a great place to start is a gratitude journal or a happiness list.
#2 Time
For this item, I am talking about unnecessary commitments and the glorification of busy.
Consider doing a quick audit of your calendar to see if there are any events or recurring activities that no longer serve you. Or, if you’re like me, you may have all the gym classes cluttering up your calendar because you KNEW you would start going to the gym 5 days a week. Yea, we all know how that goes…delete those events and start with a fresh slate for things that truly light you up.
“Saying ‘yes’ to one thing means saying ‘no’ to another.”
Sean Covey
What do you say when someone asks how you’re doing? Do you say “Good, but busy!”
I know I used to say that a LOT. It was my default and I was somehow proud of it. But I had to stop and ask myself, WHY. Being busy is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s when I glorify busy that it becomes an issue. And when I am doing things just for the sake of being busy, I’m not focusing on the people that I love and want to spend time with.
One small change you can make to stop glorifying busy is when someone asks how you’re doing, don’t automatically say “Good, but busy!” Instead, don’t say the word busy, leave that word right out!
Some other options to say instead:
- “I’m great, how are you?”
- “I’ve been enjoying spending time with my family.”
- “I’ve been loving my work doing XYZ”
If we can eliminate the word busy, we can start to remove the hold it has on us and start living our lives with more intention.
“Trade your busy life for a full one.”
Courtney Carver
#3 Your Diet
Decluttering my diet is something I have been thinking a lot about this past year. I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and I know that diet plays a huge part in how I feel and my overall health.
Decluttering out things like processed foods and reliance on sugar would greatly improve my physical health and provide me with more energy to enjoy my active kiddos.
Meal planning plays a huge part in whether or not I choose to eat healthy options, or run through the drive-through on the way home.
Here are a few resources that I use to help me eat healthier and simplify meal planning:
- Meal planning tools + Free Trello board
- How to Simplify Meal Times
- Cookbooks I’m loving right now:
#4 Bad habits
Over time we all develop habits or things that we do on autopilot without even really thinking about it. Some habits serve us well and some habits are more negative.
Declutter your habits by identifying any negative and self-destructive habits and work to let them go. I know this is very difficult and not something that will happen overnight!
Think about baby steps…do you have a habit of browsing internet shopping sites when you’re bored? If you are trying to declutter your home and live more intentionally, then buying more stuff is not going to help you get there.
Consider finding other activities you can do when you have some downtime. Come up with a list of things you could do, for example, read a book, go for a walk, cook a new recipe, or call a friend. When you notice yourself browsing the shopping sites, stop yourself and pick one of the things from the list to do instead. Over time this negative habit could turn into a more positive habit of going for a walk or connecting with a friend.
For more on habits, the book Atomic Habits is a great place to start.
#5 Finances
The new year is a great opportunity to do an audit of your finances and see if you have any recurring expenses that you no longer need. Are there subscriptions you don’t use anymore? Tools you’re paying for that you no longer need?
Consider stopping these subscriptions to save a little bit of money in the process.
Another way to declutter your finances and get a handle on your spending is to do a shopping ban. Read this post about doing your own shopping ban and download the free printable tracker to get started.
#6 Information inputs
Consuming information is easier than ever before. We receive information via email, social media, news websites, and online forums. And those are just the online methods!
You could also receive physical newspapers (I know there are some people out there still!), magazines, and books.
All of these channels are bombarding us both negative and positive information and it adds up very quickly!
I know I personally have to declutter my email and social media inputs on a regular basis. When I start to feel overwhelmed or agitated, one of the reasons is I am consuming too much information from too many sources. This is my trigger to cut back and declutter the noise in my email inbox and social media feeds.
#7 Goals
I wrote a whole post about simplifying goal setting and this is a great time to pare down what you want to achieve and do it really well, rather than trying to do a million things at once.
“Life’s a balancing act. You have multiple roles and goals, and you can do it all – just not all at once.”
Denise Morrison
What is ONE thing that you can accomplish in the next 2-4 weeks? What is one thing you can do this week to reach that month-long goal? How about one thing you can do TODAY to inch you closer to the finish line?
Consider picking just one goal to work on at a time and breaking it into bite-sized pieces.
Your turn: Did you pick one thing from this list to declutter from your life?
Let us know in the comments so we can cheer you on!
Other Great Articles About Decluttering Non-Physical Items
If you enjoyed this post, consider joining THE I DREAM OF SIMPLE VIP LIST
Never miss a new post by joining our VIP list. You’ll also receive extra goodies and special offers, PLUS the FREE Decluttering 101 Ebook! Click the image below to complete the sign-up form.
I would also appreciate it if you shared this post on Pinterest!
