Some of my chocolate wrappers. Just some.

I had an opportunity to attend a two-part workshop this week, How to Tidy Up Your Life led by Lalita Ballesteros. The principles she talked about there were based from Marie Kondo’s work, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I’ve read Kondo’s books but have never really put any of her suggestions into place. Lalita asked a question during the workshop this week that got me thinking and and appreciating the possibilities of a decluttered life.

The question was to not think about what you want to get rid of, but in a future life where you can picture the you you want to be and the lifestyle you want, what do you want to have with you?

I began thinking about the chocolate wrappers I’ve been drawing. I have such a large, untidy and unwieldy pile of them. Two weeks ago, I thought about decluttering and for one week I would draw one and at the end of the session, I’d throw away the wrapper. That was great for one week. Seven wrappers gone.

Unfortunately, my large, unwieldy pile still remains, not looking that much diminished. After the workshop this week, and considering this question of what do I want to have in the future with regards to my wrappers, I realized I want a sketchbook filled with drawings of chocolate wrappers. And once that sketchbook is complete, I don’t need to collect any more wrappers.

Identifying a boundary and limit to the extent of my project, has made me surprisingly pleased and happy. The paper clutter has been resolved for that thing. I will draw the wrappers that I like and when my sketchbook is done, no more wrappers are needed. I found this a really helpful reframing.

If you think about who you want to be and the life you’d like to lead, what things will you bring with you? What have you outgrown and no longer need?