Decluttering Thoughts

January 2025

Decluttering Thoughts

By Sara Steele, Owner of Picnic Hill Create

As I spent time today going through my craft spaces at home, many thoughts filled my head. I’ll put them in three general categories: unfinished projects, sentimental crafts, and crafts I want to start again…someday. 

First, unfinished projects. One particular unfinished project had been sitting out for at least a year. It was probably 30 to 40 percent done. I moved it around the table a few times with the attitude that if I cleared everything else away that I would settle in and work on it. Eventually, though, I took a good, hard look at it and decided I didn’t actually WANT to finish it. So, I freed myself from the bondage of the project and pitched it into the trash. It surprised me how good it felt. 

Next up, sentimental crafts. This also includes crafty kits and things that were gifted to me but I will probably never use. If you’ve ever read or listened to “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, you may have heard her life hack for dealing emotionally with these types of items. She recommends that you thank them for the part they played in your life. I don’t necessarily think thanking inanimate objects is a logical or rational way to say goodbye, but the gratitude piece is certainly important. Also, we may not realize the emotional hold these items have in our brain and that it’s critical to make space in our head as well. Although easier said than done, I’d rather choose to be grateful for the past without being stuck in it. Growth and happiness come from assuming more pleasant interactions will be forthcoming. If our mindset reflects more hope for the future than reminiscing about the past, we might be better off.

Lastly, crafts I want to start again…someday. Crochet falls into this category, as well as sewing. This trap is one I very much struggle with. “Present Me” has lots of plans and big ideas for “Future Me”. Future me has unlimited time and energy, and will definitely not waste 3+ hours a day on her phone. 

The problem is, Future Me is an illusion.

My best intentions are easy on days when I’m well-nourished, well-rested, and emotionally stable. If I’m being honest, those days are rare lately. Those are the days I can put the phone away and start de-cluttering, writing, scrapbooking, crocheting, cleaning, or whatever else I would like to do. Most days I would rather put my feet up and mindlessly scroll through entertaining feeds on YouTube or Instagram. The funny thing is, the algorithms have decided that the content I most enjoy seeing is stuff about productivity and motivation. Ha! Somehow hearing about it all day every day doesn’t move the needle for me in real life. 

So, Future Me that is motivated, inspired, and productive may be an illusion, but I can take clues from what it takes on the days where I DO get things done. I can control how much rest I get to some extent. I have modest control over what and how I choose to eat. I can control the things I can control. It’s a start.