The Decluttering Journey

Where can you reduce clutter in your life?

It’s the beginning of 2026 and I’m considering the purchase of a bookcase or a storage shelf. It feels almost counter-productive, talking about such a purchase when I’m meant to be sharing where else I can reduce clutter. Doesn’t a bookcase or a shelf of sorts mean holding on to things?

I started my journey to declutter some time in 2017. I found out that I had the same autoimmune condition as my mum. One of the biggest impacts it had on me was chronic fatigue.

I’ve never been one for dusting and cleaning the house. It triggers allergies that end up in lung infections. This has been the case since I was a child and so I have a dislike for the tasks, while I view them as necessary. I far prefer cooking and baking and washing things up. That has always been fine with me.

One of the things I immediately thought about when I started processing my diagnosis is this precise dislike I have of cleaning alongside the incredible amount of stuff we had. So I spoke to my dad about my plans to start simplifying things.

These plans included pulling down built-in cabinets and wardrobes, as well as some massive built in bookshelves. My dad was a bit surprised but acknowledged that I was going to be even more reliant on cleaning help, which could sometimes be unreliable. Papa came around and I sprang into action.

I was quite ruthless, when I think about it. I gave away a few thousand books. The only ones I held on to were ones that I found hard to track down online. It was very painful giving away a beautiful edition of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia which had gold page ends and beautiful pictures. I remembered picking it up on holiday in Switzerland.

Such was my determination. All my CDs and DVDs went. I wasn’t to know that we’d be arriving at a point when they were obsolete. So it was giant decisions made to let go. Pyrex collections, luggage and bedding sets, countless Christmas decorations of various colour combinations, and decorative items from crystals to brass, were all discarded. That was a very painful round of discarding that happened.

I put some stuff away in bags. One of the rooms upstairs was pretty full up with stuff that I couldn’t decide on.

Then I also made the decision to change my kitchen cabinets. My parents had made kitchen cabinets that lined the walls of our kitchen, which meant ample space for collecting stuff. I gave away some gourmet dining sets that I had, which were so stunningly beautiful. That was hard.

Even more painful was the decision to give away a lot of my baking stuff. I used to do heaps of baking for weddings and all sorts – as gifts to my friends. I had almost a couple of hundred baking tins of different shapes and sizes, cake stands, about 3 cake mixers and a hand mixer, hundreds of cookie cutters- most of which I bought on travels, sets of nozzles for icing, and the list goes on. This was very difficult. It was partly an acknowledgment that as a result of my health, I was no longer going to be doing the same scale of baking I used to. It was hard.

The amount of things I’ve given away sometimes shocks me and catches me off guard. I’ll suddenly realise I no longer have such and such a thing. But it has forced me to question whether is something I need or if I can improvise on.

My home is so clutter free now- and that final room upstairs just has a last few bits and bobs that I am now planning to organise or give away.

This brings me back to the bookcase or storage shelves that I’m considering. I want to take what I have put away in boxes and organise them so that they can be used. At present, I have to hunt through piles of stuff to get to what I need. The plan is to do another round of sifting once I get the shelves in. This will have to be quite a ruthless round. I have held on to some things which I value, but which, if I’m honest, aren’t of any use to me whatsoever.

I’m bracing myself for this. I’ve started looking out for shelves. The process has begun.

I recommend decluttering because it clears up space. I have a home that’s really lovely because there’s simply no clutter. I no longer am stressed about keeping things neat and tidy because it’s all rather manageable. It makes such a difference.

I’m very keen to keep this process of decluttering alive. It’s made me look at what’s important and practical. It’s made me thoughtful about buying. I’ve learnt to admire, appreciate, and move on. I’ve also learnt to make good purchases. The process has also helped me maintain my home, even with a progressive illness, it’s not totally unmanageable.

It’s also been a process for which I’ve been able to thank God for. It has stirred up heaps of memories for me – about how it used to be at home, when both papa and mummy were still around. I have much to be thankful for.

I may have got rid of stuff, but my home is as ever, open to family and friends.

To anyone who’s embarking on this journey of decluttering, I wish you lots of peace and joy as you do it. You’re not just dealing with stuff. You’re simplifying and appreciating life.