I’ve gone through several major purges at different times in my life and I’m always surprised by how quickly I accumulate things once I’m settled again. It’s like a gravitational force, not dissimilar to Parkinson’s law that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. Stuff expands so as to fill the space available.

Our basement is a classic example of this. It seems that as soon as a surface gets cleared off, something else shows up to fill it. Keeping stuff to a minimum takes vigilance, and when other humans are involved that’s not always the easiest thing to accomplish.

My sister Abby’s husband was one of those people that liked to hold onto things. As his health declined, so too did the state of much of the stuff. Abby was determined that we not bear the brunt of that after her death, so she led the initiative to lighten the load. Margareta Magnusson’s book about Swedish death cleaning speaks to the notion of cleaning up before we die, and stresses that it’s advisable for people at any age.

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo has taken the concept of order to a whole new level with her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It became a #1 New York Times Bestseller and has spawned a Netflix series, so clearly many of us have a desire to declutter, whether or not we are able to achieve it. She says that if things don’t spark joy in our hearts when we’re sorting, then we should pause to acknowledge and honour any memories that arise from them, and then let them go. Then they have the potential of sparking joy for someone else.

This was certainly the case at the garage sale we hosted recently at Abby’s. People swarmed in and scooped up treasures, often telling stories of where a particular item was headed and the beneficial role it would play in its new life. We were blown away by how nice everyone was, and how grateful they were for the fantastic deals we gave them. Not everything sold, of course, but what was left over was thrift store bound — at least what they’ll take of it.

A time constraint is often helpful with motivation, like an upcoming move or a garage sale set a few weeks in the future. We did the basement purge in anticipation of the sale and the energetic shift of clearing out all that stuff was palpable. With this last push I finally got my filing cabinet moved to the same floor as my office. Getting it up to date is another story, but having it where I need it is a step in the right direction.

Keeping the flood of incoming stuff at bay is the tricky part. Stuff is easy to come by, as we can all attest to. A little bit here, a little bit there, and before you know it every damn inch of the basement is full again.

Do you have any excess ‘things’ that you would benefit from letting go? Would imposing a time constraint help motivate you to make that happen? Let me know, I’d love to hear!