Discover Serenity through the Swedish Approach to Decluttering
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I stumbled across a TV show whose name I recognized from the same-titled book that came out about five years ago. Because I’m fascinated by all things clutter, I was compelled to watch it. And by the end of the week, I had binged all the episodes.
You’ve likely heard of it, too.
The book — and now show — is called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.
While it may sound morbid, this concept offers a fresh perspective on decluttering. And one aspect that I really liked about the show is how they speak of death with such ease.
After all, it needn’t be this big, heavy, depressing topic. We’re all going to die. Any reluctance to speak of it only contributes to the tendency to turn a blind eye to life (and death) planning and right-sizing your life.
Swedish Death Cleaning, or “döstädning” in Swedish, is all about streamlining your belongings and preserving your life’s legacy.
By being selective about what is worthy of staying in your life, you intentionally curate the things that reflect who you are. You also create a meaningful collection that captures your journey in this life.
Imagine your loved ones sorting your items as their hearts swell with memories of you. What types of things do you want them to be going through, handling, and making decisions on?
By practicing Swedish Death Cleaning while you’re still around, you’re actually doing them a huge favor.
Clearing out someone’s possessions after they’ve passed can be emotionally draining and time-consuming. But by taking charge and decluttering ahead of time, you give your family and friends the space and time they need to properly grieve, without the added stress of handling your stuff. It’s an incredible act of kindness.
Then there are your perks of embracing a lighter, simpler life. Things like:
- Reduced Stress: Clutter and excessive belongings can make us feel overwhelmed and stressed out. But when you declutter and live with only what truly matters, you create a peaceful and harmonious environment.
- Enhanced Focus and Clarity: Have you ever noticed how physical clutter easily leads to mental clutter? By letting go of unnecessary possessions, you clear up mental space, allowing you to focus and think more clearly. It’s like a breath of fresh air for your mind!
- Increased Productivity: Say goodbye to distractions! A clutter-free space provides the perfect backdrop for increased productivity. With fewer things vying for your attention, you can channel your energy into the tasks and activities that truly light you up.
- Improved Well-being: Simplifying your lifestyle has a positive impact on your overall well-being. Surrounding yourself with objects that bring you joy and align with your values nurtures your emotional and mental health. It’s like creating your own little sanctuary of happiness.
- Financial Freedom: Living with less can actually save you money. By being more mindful of your purchases and focusing on quality over quantity, you can free up your finances, reduce debt, and prioritize experiences over material possessions. Hello, financial freedom!
I know what a big job decluttering can be. Just remember this: it’s all about getting good at getting started. You can experience some of the above perks just by doing one Pomodoro round (25 minutes) on some stubborn clutter.
Here are a few suggestions of small things you can do that will likely have a big impact on your mood and energy:
- Paperwork. Grab a reasonably-sized stack of and sort the papers into one of two piles: Keep and Recycle. Anything you’re certain you can get rid of goes into the recycle pile. Anything you need or want to keep as well as anything you’re unsure of, into the Keep pile they go. That is what getting started looks like.
- Spices. Go through all of your spices and toss anything that’s expired.
- Junk drawer. Empty your junk drawer onto the floor or a table and go on a trash treasure hunt. What in that pile can be tossed? Then put the rest back.
While those suggestions might not be a top priority in your clutter-clearing mission, each is something doable to give you the taste of success. Consider it a warm up for the tougher stuff!
One of the goals here is for you to curate a life that lights you up by eliminating anything (or anyone!) that dims your spark.
And if you want to check out the TV show, you’ll find it for free on Peacock here in the U.S.
Kia Ora Kerri,
Well this is timely. It’s a couple of months in for me doing this after coming to this conclusion about my eventual ‘conclusion’! Oddly enough, I’m just in the process of changing my Will and now having a ‘Gift List’ to go with it and that truly made me think about what I was keeping to pass on as I don’t want to leave this clutter for loved ones to deal with (like I had to do with my parents). I zoned in on what was an item that meant something to them, about me, that was all. I don’t have highly valuable items and I even have gifted/donated a couple of paintings that have some worth, to go to a small museum. A big step for me came in April after our small town along with the region, experienced a swarm of near a thousand swarm earthquakes over several days. The first bigger couple knocked a few things around in the house and off walls and shelves but thankfully nothing serious. This all happened only weeks after devastating floods not where I am but NZ is a small country and it hit us all hard because it was so catastrophic for people just like ‘us’. Houses and everything just wiped away in minutes. So I was sitting in my house after a week of quake swarms and having left all the ornaments and things still where they lay because they could just get toppled again, I remember being relieved my Mum’s precious things I kept when she died a couple of years ago had survived, along with my favourite things of hers that bring me joy and are childhood memories too. But the more valuable things of my Mum’s, I don’t love, she loved, and I have kept them because of that. I thought then, why am I keeping these and risking them being broken etc? I should sell them (the pricier items, some things I’ll continue to donate) and let someone else enjoy them like my Mum did. And that began another look at my clutter, which includes hers. I also had a rethink of my things in the same way, even though I like the things in my home, I don’t love all of them, some things no longer feel relevant like that and so I added to the Mum ‘precious’ pile. Then I hit the garage and went through again, the rodent infested and damaged boxes of random things that have been out there in one half of the garage since moving here 4 years ago. Some ‘precious’ things were gross and biffed straight away which gave me this powerful realisation of how I kept them because they were apparently important enough to keep, but never did anything with them and all they became was rubbish and maybe for some things, should have donated, sold or put in the rubbish at the start, and you Kerri, have been incredibly helpful each time/step, but of course, it’s not an easy journey. My Mum dying and me inheriting all of her things was okay, but I inherited her ‘hoarding’ and the emotional side of all of that had me then ‘giving up’ with both hers and my own clutter. Still, I know it is something I have to heal and mend and do and trust my knowing with that mostly, not to hide behind it and always keep on with understanding and learning ways to help remove the clutter. I think this year’s events and realisations have been the most healthiest ways I’ve come to terms with things, as the stuff just doesn’t have the emotional pull like it used to. Yes I still trip up with some things but I keep unpacking that emotional clutter too and being very gentle on myself when necessary. It feels more practical and purposeful. I can’t believe I haven’t watched that show as it will help me more so that’s what I am going to do! Once again, I am grateful to have you dropping into my inbox and helping me out so much on this journey to emotional freedom of detaching myself from the stuff that weighs me down instead of just bringing me joy and love. Thank you. And sending all the great vibes that give energy to this group.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Vicki! Wow I can really imagine how those earthquakes prompted you to reevaluate what is really precious and what isn’t. It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job at excavating the clutter under the clutter and addressing it at the source. Well done! Keep curating your life in a way that reflects who YOU are, and YOUR story (no one else’s, including your mom’s!). Now some of mom’s items may be a part of your story and that’s great. But keeping anything out of guilt or obligations clutters up your life more than the space they claim. Besides, your mom is up there looking down thinking “don’t keep those things on account of me!” Earthly possessions mean nothing to them once they’ve moved on!