Decluttering your life: things, subscriptions, too many commitments

There is the clutter you can see: full closets, an impassable garage, a saturated desk. And the clutter you see less: forgotten subscriptions, useless apps, commitments made out of politeness, obligations that have become habits. A cluttered life leaves little room for what is essential. This monthly quest invites you to a day of simplifying.

What it looks like in your day

Set aside a day. Or at least a half-day. A Saturday, a day off. Tell your family.

Go through three zones:

1. Objects. Choose two or three spaces (closet, drawer, garage, desk). Sort as in the sorting exercise: I keep, I give away, I throw out. Be firm with what is redundant, broken, unused for a year.

2. Subscriptions and accounts. Go over what you pay every month: phone plans, platforms, magazines, apps, memberships. What do you really use? Cancel the rest. Clean up your inbox, your apps, your notifications, your files.

3. Commitments. This is the trickiest. List everything you have committed to: committees, volunteer roles, meetings, children's activities, regular appointments, requests. For each one: is it still my place? Do I do it out of calling, out of habit, out of fear of saying no? What can I lighten or let go of?

Say a prayer of surrender. "Lord, I hand over to you what I have accumulated. Show me what is essential."

Choose a small empty space. Deliberately leave a shelf, a slot in your calendar empty. Free space is a gift.

Keep a visible result. Photograph the before and after, or note what you have freed up.

If you are in a hurry, choose one zone. If you are shy about commitments, start with the objects. If you are sentimental, start with what is least charged.

What the Bible says

Jesus issues a warning:

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

"A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth": the parable of the rich fool describes a man who enlarges his barns, feels secure, and dies that very night. His fault is not that he succeeded, but that he put his security in his possessions, and was not "rich toward God." The author of the letter to the Hebrews invites us to lay aside whatever weighs down the race (Hebrews 12:1): every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us.

Pitfalls to avoid

Getting rid of things on impulse. Some things thrown out quickly are regretted. Go at the pace that suits you.

Imposing the sort on others. Decluttering your life doesn't mean decluttering your family's without their agreement.

Filling the freed-up space. If you free a shelf in order to buy new objects, the cycle starts again.

Making simplicity a religion. Minimalism can become a source of pride. The goal is freedom and sharing, not style.

Neglecting commitments that really matter. Lightening your load doesn't mean fleeing all responsibility.

This month, spend a day decluttering: objects, subscriptions, commitments.