This month, we’re talking about community here on my blog. It’s actually ending up more of a journal-reflection type series than informational or practical. My hope is that you will find some of the reflection questions at the end of the post helpful. This post will focus on my decluttering group – The Declutter Community.
How it started
Who knew one tiny human would add so much…stuff to a home? Yes, so much love as well, but also stuff. Babies added a lot of stuff to our home – some necessary, most extras. Way back in the ancient of days of the interwebs when blogs were still fairly new, I stumbled upon the creative works of the lovely and amazing Rachel Anne Ridge of Home Sanctuary. There were so many great things about her blog but the thing that sparked my decluttering journey was her Small Things. They weren’t always decluttering tasks but there were some. It prompted me to do small things to make my home a sanctuary, a safe place to land.
From there, I encountered lots of blogs about cleaning and organizing. There weren’t as many blogs about clutter and decluttering back then. But I knew I had to get rid of stuff before I cleaned or organized. I didn’t want to move stuff around to clean it and I don’t have money to buy things to store stuff I don’t need. So that’s where I would start.
But with all that comes with being a mom to two littles along with other commitments, I didn’t want to make it a full-time gig. (I’ve observed that many decluttering experts usually stepped back from their “extra” life stuff for about 12-18 months to really do a deep dive into purging. This helped them to be done without having to look back.) I started to invite others into the journey. And then, there were the books and courses that were all wonderful resources to guide me.
How it’s going
Most experts will tell you there’s not an end to decluttering because it’s a journey. That’s life. Things will always come in and go out of our house. But if you work at it, you become aware of when things do and how to deal with them. And even if things get a bit out of control for a season because of life situations, it will be easy to get back to the decluttered state because you’ll most be in maintenance mode. This means you can quickly put things back because you have a process of getting the house in order.
It wasn’t officially called The Declutter Community until 4-5 years ago. Friends continually asked to continue decluttering challenges that I posted on Facebook. Even a few friends who are really good at decluttering before they joined my group wanted to stick with it because it was a lot more “fun” to be doing something “together” even if we were all over the world. We knew that someone would celebrate with us when we were able to part with those pants we bought years ago but don’t fit anymore, or when we were finally ready to tackle the whole file cabinet of papers.
Since we have daily check-ins, we share the ups and downs of what’s happening in our lives. Through the years, we’ve seen each other through grieving a loss of a parent or partner, caring for a sick child, celebrating a long-time friend’s birthday, hosting a baby shower, nursing an injury, and so much more. You don’t want to argue with me that online community is not real community. It is but in a different kind of way.
The Humans of Decluttering Communities
Some folks might be curious about the group but don’t know if it’s right for them. There are lots of preconceived ideas of declutter-ers. Anyone in any of the decluttering groups I’ve been a part of (I’ve been in a lot) will tell you declutter-ers are wonderful. They are a very non-judgmental, understanding, and kind-hearted bunch. People think that declutter-ers are judgmental folks who all want you to throw everything away. Or that they want you to live in an empty space with white walls and clear surfaces. But that’s definitely not it. It’s not even what minimalism is all about if you really understand it more. I’m not a minimalist but from what I’ve seen and read, they won’t ask you to just start tossing all the things out.
Who are the humans of The Declutter Community? Lots of different people with lots of different stories. One member just moved into a new home while others have lived in their homes for over 4 decades! A few members have a lot of kids and others are empty nesters. Some members are working on digital clutter and others are sorting through boxes of who-knows-what.
We have some members who check in every single day while others only have time to check in once a week. The same goes for decluttering. We have had a few members who can only devote a day or two to decluttering. There are others who declutter something every day. Some are at the beginning of their journey and have lots of toss, recycle or donate. Others are farther along and have to make hard decision, especially as they downsize. We’re all different and that’s what makes this community unique. I’ll help you figure out your game plan.
The Declutter Community is…
Here’s what some of the members said when I asked them to complete this sentence: “The Declutter Community is…”
- helpful for accountability and encouragement.
- SO encouraging and gives me accountability.
- a Facebook group where you check in and out on a daily basis and tell the group what you plan on doing and what you have accomplished each day.
- an encouraging group of loving people.
- such a supportive, encouraging and nurturing group! They help me keep going and even when the wheels fall off, they welcome you back with open arms!
- a community of women focused on improving our home environment and eliminating what each person considers clutter in their lives through shared goals and experiences.
- a supportive group of like-minded people who are likely first-generation pre-internet/social media group that struggles to incorporate achieving clean living in this new warp-speed world.
Resources
These are some of my go-to virtual decluttering mentors.
- Dana K. White – A Slob Comes Clean – If you are lost and looking for someone who is relatable to the everyday human at the beginning of the decluttering journey, Dana will be your guide.
- Diana Rene – The Decluttered Mom – If that mom life has your drowning in toys, Diana is the one you want to help you out.
- Kathi Lipp – Clutter Free – If you want someone who will bring challenge and community into your journey, Kathi can lead you to your people.
- Joshua Becker – Becoming Minimalist – If you need some reflection and real talk about the stuff (and it’s really never all about the stuff), Joshua will make you take a deeper look at things.
- Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus – The Minimalists – If you regularly declutter but want to go to the next level (and get some tough love), Joshua and Ryan are the ones you want to seek out.
- Joyce Moy – The Declutter Community – That’s me! If you have tried other groups before but you need more direct accountability and encouragement, that’s where I come in!
Do you have a community that helps you work on or grow in an area of your life where you need others to encourage and inspired you? How did you find this community? If you don’t have a community like this, have you considered starting one for that hobby or goal?
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