The Accumulated

One of my annual habits is to give the house a thorough clean every summer. It is an exhausting yet relaxing and thought-provoking process. In particular, cleaning a certain areas helps me to gather my thoughts.

A few days ago, a friend shared a youth magazine from 2011 on social media. As soon as I saw it, I recognised it. Like me, she cleans at this time of year, so she must have come across the magazine while rummaging through her old belongings. We talked about it and laughed together.

Of course, I felt the same urge again. I started a sorting and organising process that will take a few days. This time, I’m tidying up both my physical and digital spaces. I’ve written about these topics separately before, but now I want to address them together and put them into practice.

Photo by Zack Yeo on Unsplash

I wouldn't describe myself as a clean freak, but when I decide to tidy up, I drop everything and get started. Of course, aside from the usual daily chores, there are some things that I don't feel the need to do constantly. The first of these is my bookcase.

Books change places and numbers throughout the year, appearing here and there. There are never enough shelves for books — it's almost a law of physics! The books need to be cleaned, aired out and reorganised. Whenever I organise them, I always struggle to decide on an arrangement. Everyone has their own preferred order that makes them feel good.

While books are relatively easy to manage, arranging other stationery items and supplies can be just as challenging. Storing numerous items whose purpose and location are unknown can be frustrating, but thankfully, drawers exist for such odds and ends.

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Then there are the boxes in which we store our memories, which we rarely open. My friend is a case in point.

Of course, the issue here goes beyond the physical structure. When an emotional connection is formed, we sometimes act accordingly. Many objects that we consider important in relation to the past can end up in the bin. I don't know how many years I've spent cleaning, but I think that's how it should be. Sometimes, memories should remain in our minds. Some should even be thrown away.

To achieve this, we must learn to let go of the physical objects we cling to. Even if they remain in a box in a hidden corner, they can come back to haunt us when we open that box again. So do yourself a favour and get rid of things that have lost their importance. You won't regret it when you look back — experience has proven this.

We’ve tidied our room, organised our books, and everything else seems to be in its place for now. We have set aside the old items and moved on with the beautiful memories that remain. Now comes the part that’s probably more difficult and exhausting. In my opinion, it's better to leave it until you're feeling more rested.

Photo by Shutter Speed on Unsplash

We will now consider the final part of the task within a digital context.

Everyone's digital collection is unique and varies depending on the platform used. We often have lists of images and photos that we have saved. We probably never look back at them. But we enjoy collecting them. On another platform, we have countless playlists. We don't know when we'll listen to most of them, but we keep them anyway, just in case. Then there are the videos and articles that we haven't watched or read yet, but which we'll definitely need one day. I say 'things' because there are so many of them, and they're all unique to us.

Choose the platform you use most often. Spend time on it. Consume or delete all the things you've collected and archived. At best, filter them.

One of the best ways to do this is to take the task seriously and ask yourself some questions. This approach can be applied not only to digital clean-ups, but also to many of the objects I mentioned at the beginning.

• “Do I need this right now?”

• “Can I group these items together with similar ones?”

• “What would I lose if I deleted or threw these items away?”

• “Would I be able to find them again if I needed them or regretted deleting them?”

• “Can I replace this with something new or better?’ Why am I keeping it?”

• “Would I benefit from using them?”

While these questions may not be applicable in every situation, I would like to share the ones that I use to guide my thinking. I'm sure you have some useful ones, too! Please feel free to share them!

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The desire to acquire something can make us feel good. This can apply to anything, not just objects. For example, the anticipation of watching a video later can create the feeling that we have already watched it and have some idea of what it is about. This is a false sense of satisfaction.

A memento from old friends can make us feel connected to them. However, perhaps those people have changed completely, and the item may no longer have any meaning for them. However, the item is valuable to us because of the feelings and thoughts we have assigned to it. We may be forming a false connection with these items.

Every item we add to our to-do list weighs us down, causing us to slouch. This can make us feel overwhelmed and stressed, and have a psychological effect on us. Perhaps trying to keep everything together and thinking about every detail is more exhausting than we realise.

Then again, maybe the opposite is true, and these memories are having a healing effect on you. They are helping you to recover.

Ultimately, how we view the situation is up to us. After all, everything gains meaning through our interpretation of it. However, our linear existence is future-oriented, and we cannot remain entirely tied to the past. To see ahead, we must be willing to let go of certain things and overcome the burdens of the past to break free from our shells.