Energy Economy - How To Declutter While Chronically Ill - Part 1

Energy Economy - How to Declutter While Chronically Ill - Part 1

The last Coping With Chronic Illness post was about the difference between de-cluttering, organizing, and simplifying and why the difference matters.  If you didn’t read that post you might want to.  

 

In the meantime we are going to be talking about clutter today.  To de-clutter means to get rid of excess stuff.  And for the purposes of this post we are thinking primarily of tangible stuff –things, possessions.  

So here are the first five suggestions.  You can do these even while bedridden.

First: Make a Plan

Start planning your method of attack.  You do need and idea of: where to start your work, what your goal or desired result is, what is aggravating you specifically, which items you love, and what you use (and why).  This is a good thing to do while you are too sick or busy to do anything else.

Second: Ask Six Questions

Decluttering - Ask Yourself Six Questions

While you are doing mental work get in your head these six questions: (1) Is it worth the energy and time it takes to use/keep/clean/store/use/worry about this item?  (2) Would my life be simpler or more complex without this item?  (3) Do I actually use this (or do members of my family use it)?  (4) Do I really love this?  (5) Do I need this?  (6) Is it important enough to me that I will actually use my limited energy on it?  These questions are very personal.  Only you can answer them .

Third: Answer the Six Questions Honestly

If you lie to yourself your decluttering efforts will ultimately fail.  

To tell ourselves the truth we need to think realistically about our circumstances, our illnesses, and our lives.  Will you really fix that broken item?  Will you really re-purpose this other item?  Will you really hem those pants, sew that skirt, embroider that top, fix that stain?  What do you really love versus what do you love the IDEA of.  They are two very different things.  

For example I am highly interested in sewing.  I appreciate hand sewn things and I really like the idea of sewing my own clothes.  But, when push comes to shove, that is never what I choose to spend my energy on.  I only have so much energy – and I use it on the things that are most important to me and the things I love the very most.   

When you get right down to it, sewing does not fall into either category for me.  Now, it is very different for my mother.  It is important to her and she does really wonderful and useful things with her sewing.  So you see, knowing yourself is important. 

Get rid of things on which you do not TRULY want/intend to spend the energy you ACTUALLY HAVE.  The beauty is that this frees you up to do more of the things you really love.  And it takes away the guilt over not doing these other things you “should” be doing.  

Fourth: Make a Keep vs Throw List

Chronically Ill Decluttering - Make a Keep vs Throw List

You can mentally go through things in your house and analyze it in the high beams of those six questions (and any others you think are important).  Make a Keep vs Throw list.  Every time you decide on an item, write it down in the appropriate column.  It will be that much easier to do the physical part of the task when you are able.

Of course, you won’t be able to mentally assess everything in your house.  So this will only get you so far.  But these steps are laying the foundation for success.  It gets your head in the game.  

Five: Some Grounding Principles

·         You are a human being and it is OK to take up some space.

·         Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  These are not life or death decisions.  It’s OK to have a regret or two.  Look at the overall picture.

·         Don’t panic.  Stop.  Breath.  Think.  

·         You don’t have to get it perfect.  Good enough is good enough.

·         Decluttering is not a religion.  It will not fill your spiritual need.  It will not ultimately give your life great meaning.  It is not a higher calling.  It will not fix all your problems.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great thing to do and can be extremely helpful in having a more fulfilling life.  But it itself does not make life fulfilling.  Don’t assign it greater importance than it is worth.

So that’s it, the first five steps in de-cluttering, especially for the chronically ill.  We don’t have energy to waste.  We need to make our blows count.  Doing the mental work first can save us a lot of physical and emotional energy later.  

However, I hear what you are thinking.  ‘Mental work is all very well,’ you say, ‘ but it doesn’t clear my house for me.’  Ah.  Sad but true.  At some point we will actually have to implement the plan.  We will have to get up and throw some things away, empty a closet, and maybe dispose of some furniture.  (Obviously that last one is something we do in name only – with the help of some strong young men.  It still counts as partially our work.)

So, in that vein the next Energy Economy post will handle how to actually, physically start decluttering our houses while living with an everyday illness.  Hope you’ll stick around.

And now it’s your turn.  What are your thoughts on the above list?  Do you have anything to add?

More from Laina Laughing

Coping With Chronic Illness posts: 

It's OK to grieve your losses
Knowledge is power
Do not eat, breathe, and sleep your illness
Part 1 - Friendship is a basic human need (the dilemma)
Part 2 - Friendship is a basic human need (who can be a friend?)
Part 3 - Friendship is a basic human need (10 ways to be a good friend while chronically ill)
Part 4 - Friendship is a basic human need (How to be a friend to a friend who is chronically ill)
2 Reasons why lying keeps you sick
Let go of the dream, accept reality, and be happy (it breaks your heart and then rebuilds it)
Accepting reality - what it does NOT mean
3 Ways to advance in a new direction
18 Ways to ward off sadness
I Can't Do It Alone
Talk.  And Talk Some More.
You Do Not Need To Justify Your Existence
Coping with Chronic Illness - Dealing with Its Unpredictable Nature

Coping With Chronic Illness - Other People Have Problems Too 
When I have no brain and no body 
Caring too much what people think keeps you sick 
Caring too much what people think - how to overcome it.

5 Ways to be a Good Friend to a Friend with a Chronic Illness
Coping With Chronic Illness Exercise - Part 1 - Is it Good or Bad?
Coping with Chronic Illness Exercise - Part 2 - 5 Myths and Facts about Exercise While Ill
5 Ways to Maintain Independence While Chronically Ill  Coping With Chronic Illness - Part 3 - How to Build Strength while Chronically Ill

Coping With Chronic Illness - For Better Health- Laugh!

Living With Chronic Illness - What Decluttering, Organizing, and Simplifying really mean.

Energy Economy posts:

How to get food into our mouths while chronically ill part 1 Food part 2 Food part 3 Grocery shopping and chronic illness
Wardrobe considerations for the chronically ill - part 1
Wardrobe considerations for the chronically ill - part 2  
15 suggestions for Leaving the house while chronically ill
14 suggestions for cleaning the house while chronically ill
Personal hygiene and chronic illness Dealing with people while chronically ill
12 Ways to simplify your grooming and dressing routines  

10 Ways to COPE with Cognitive Dysfunction (Brain Fog, Fibro Fog)  
10 Ways to COMBAT Cognitive Dysfunction (Brain Fog, Fibro Fog) 

How To Attend Important Events While Chronically Ill 

10 Ways to Make it Through the Summer Heat while Chronically Ill 

 

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/33237593@N06/6866141013/">niftynotebook</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/misteraitch/5560943917/">misteraitch</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/left-hand/4548687684/">left-hand</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheatfields/4774087006/">net_efekt</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>