Decluttering

The post is inspired by a press article on the new profession in Poland (not only), which by all accounts is a response to growing demand for such services - to solve the chicken and egg dilemma.

In late 2023, when my girlfriend was moving in to my place, I had to rationalise the content of my flat. I rearranged the space, got rid of some stuff, bought boxes and racks to fit the remaining items into smaller space. Recently, after her flat has been sublet, the second stage of the process came up and some or our stuff had to end up in my basement, assorted into cardboard boxes.

The exercise prompted me to rethink if I really need the things I possess, especially how often I use them. I am a minimalist and I think twice before purchasing an item, hence the room for improvement was limited.

Now a quick guide what to do with stuff useless for you. Get rid of it by:
1. Selling it for a tiny fraction of a new item's market value (a buyer will also benefit it), or
2. Donating it (at best via śmieciarka facebook groups, eschew the OLX oddam za darmo classifieds) or to an organisation which collect specific sort of stuff, or
3. Just throw away, ensuring it will be recycled.

If you don't feel up to the above or have no idea how to get about it, professionals dealing with decluttering are there to step in. As these experts claim, people get too attached to their belongings, usually acquired on the spur of the moment. Useless stuff is frequently bought to relieve sadness or spontaneously, because one spotted an item which took their fancy. Frequently humans believe having something at hand will prompt them to use it, but time proves them wrong. According to statistics, young mothers are the group in most need of decluttering, however theories why hoard stuff vary. The most commonplace one is that given their overload with duties and scarcity of time, they are most prone to impulse shopping.

Experts in decluttering warn what I have done, i.e. sorting stuff, packing them into boxes or organisers, does not solve the problem. It definitely facilitates finding an item somebody is looking for, but the excess stuff still occupies space in their place. Beware then!

The last valid remark is you need to want to get decluttered. Buying decluttering services as a gift to somebody whose place is cluttered is a waste of money. A person afflicted should really want to tackle the problem of superfluous belongings and take the primary responsibility in solving it. A professional will only wisely assist in it, hence at the end I would dare to doubt if rates with lower range of PLN 200 per hour of such assistance are worth that much.

Off to the seaside next weekend. A follow-up in two weeks.