THESE PANTS + Why It’s Beneficial To De-Clutter Your Life (Bloggers and Non-Bloggers)

Hi, hi, hi.

Hope everyone is having a decent Monday. The first day of the work week isn’t always the easiest but sometimes I try to look at it “glass half full” and treat Monday as my day to reset and restart. I started my day with coffee and a scoop of Collagen Peptides (read why I drink collagen here) a HIIT workout from the Tone It Up Series, and a solid, protein-packed breakfast from Pittsburgh Fresh (…more on that later). I’m feeling pretty good to say the least and I’m looking forward to tackling my next on-going task/goal:

DE-CLUTTERING MY LIFE.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I live in fairly small apartment with little storage space and the amount of “stuff” that I own can be a bit overwhelming at times. However, there is no one to blame but myself for that.

Just a brief visual inside my 2 small closets: There are shoe boxes, clothing items, photography equipment, poster boards, and other miscellaneous items strategically stacked and “jenga-ed” so that it’s all out of view. My drawers: a hot mess. As for my bathroom closet: there are far too many beauty products to even begin to name. And my kitchen pantry: I have about 20 mugs and dozens of health supplements/seeds/weird powders that I forget that I even have.

For the most part, I’m a very clean person and I can’t stand the sight of clutter. However, I like quick fixes so this is why my closets, pantries, and drawers take the hit. If you walked into my apartment and didn’t open any doors, you would probably classify me as type A. However, these short-cut habits result in a veryyyyy disorganized life behind the scenes.

Sound familiar?

That’s what brought me to my reasoning for the urgent need to de-clutter everything. My goal is to purge my life and closet of anything that is completely unnecessary and set limits on my mentality for future purchases. To be completely candid, as a blogger, I’m constantly receiving packages and goodies. I am by no means complaining but I realize that this is just part of my problem and why I tend to feel overwhelmed by what I have. If you’ve noticed, I’ve been trying to host giveaways more frequently in attempt to both rid myself of excess and give back to you guys! WIN, WIN, right?!

Here are 5 reasons why I think de-cluttering is beneficial…

1. $$$$$$$$$ – This one is simple. Less “treat yo self” = more free money. While I strongly support moments of self-rewarding indulgent behavior, I could probably tone that attitude down a bit. Saving money now will pay off in the long run.
2. Purging has taught me to be mindful of what I have. Through this process, I’ve become more aware of what I have (who knew that cute skirt was in the back of my closet??), what I need, and what’s important. It’s easy to lose track of material items when you’ve hoarded so much in a lifetime. When deciding what I want to keep and what I should pitch, I try to keep in mind my solid daily routine. What are the products that I actually use? Are there any supplements that were a one-and-done thing? Do I actually need that trendy jacket that I’ll probably only use for a shoot?
3. A cleaner space and a cleaner mind. Like I’ve already mentioned, if my apartment isn’t in tip top shape, I kind of mentally can’t function. This sounds crazy, but I can’t relax on the couch if I know I have dishes to do or a pile of clothes in my bedroom. So for me, less stuff means less to clean and organize which means less maintenance which means less to worry about.

While I’m sure there are a dozen more reasons why simplifying is beneficial, I wont over-state the obvious. Thus far, I’ve donated 3 big bags of clothing to Goodwill. If I hadn’t worn it in 6 months, I tossed it into the bag. I’m working on my kitchen pantry after this blog post is published then my next endeavor is the bathroom (DUN, DUN, DUN — how will I ever simplify?!) I realize that this is will be an on-going lifestyle change but it definitely needs to happen in order to start fresh.

What tips do you have that help to keep your expenses and living space in line?

WEARING: ASOS LACE-UP BLACK DENIM | WHITE OFF THE SHOULDER LONG SLEEVE BODYSUIT | WHITE FLATFORM SNEAKERS

photos: Lex King