The Retirement Newsletter: Decluttering in retirement

Issue Number: 165 (18) — why is there an urge and a need to declutter when we retire?

Nick

Jul 28, 2024

Photo by Author — if only my clutter was this organised

Welcome

Welcome to issue 165 (18) of the Retirement Newsletter. And this week, it’s decluttering.

(If you are wondering about the strange numbers, it is the 165 issue and 18 weeks since I retired.)

Retirement and Decluttering

One of the things on my retirement list of things to do is decluttering. And I thought it was just me with it on a list. But, as a highly unscientific poll of my recently retired friends (n = 4) shows, decluttering is on most people’s lists. When asking my retired friends if decluttering was something they considered doing, most of them seemed surprised that I would ask such a question. They thought it was a given and something everyone does at the start of their retirement.

So, is decluttering on your list? If so, please let me know how it’s going in the comments.

Why do we declutter in retirement?

This is an interesting question: why do we feel a need to declutter in our retirement? Having thought about it, I think I have identified 12 reasons:

Changing Lifestyle: With retirement, my daily routines have changed, and I am starting new and restarting old hobbies. Hence, some of my possessions are obsolete; for example, do I still need those marker board pens, chalk, and a laser pointer? I now need to access some things from old hobbies that were in drawers. And I need to find space for my new hobbies and interests. Decluttering is allowing me to reorganise things.
Simplifying Life: This one certainly applies to me. I have become increasingly frustrated with the amount of clutter in my life. I always lose things as I don’t have the space to give everything a ‘home’. I always seem to be moving things to make space for other things.
Freedom and Mobility: Decluttering can make travel, relocation, or spontaneous activities easier. There is less to pack and less to move to a new location. It’s a win-win. Plus, you get a greater sense of freedom and flexibility. You are not tied to your belongings.
Downsizing: This one doesn’t apply to me yet, but I have been thinking about it. My view is I may as well get a head start and not be in a position where I suddenly need to declutter to downsize. Be prepared!
Ease of Maintenance: Fewer belongings mean less time and effort in cleaning, organising, and maintaining the home. I am all for less time spent on household chores.
Health and Safety: I am not sure if this is on the list because of my career (I was a scientist, and we were always worried about health and safety in the lab), but I think it is something we should all consider. By decluttering, we can remove hazards around the house that may cause injury as we age. I am thinking about trip hazards and things that are up high that could fall on you.
Mental Clarity and Emotional Well-being: A clutter-free space can help create a clearer mind and a sense of calm. This can reduce stress and improve overall mental health. Having a clutter-free life means I won’t get so stressed when I can’t find something as it should be in its correct place.
Reflecting on the Past : This is the tough one. On the one hand, it is good, as it is nice to revisit old memories and times, but it can also be painful. And how do you decide which items to keep?
Legacy and Inheritance: I am not too concerned about this one, but it did come up in chats with friends. If I do a good job decluttering and then don’t ‘re-clutter’, my heirs won’t have much to do.
Financial Considerations: Do I need that credit card? No, snip, gone. Do I need all those subscriptions? Can I consolidate my savings into fewer accounts to manage them more easily? By decluttering my finances, I can save money and make my pension go further. Plus, it is part of number 9 above, ‘Legacy and Inheritance' — decluttering the finances makes things easier for heirs.
Environmental Concerns: Am I becoming greener in my old age? I guess I am, and decluttering can help as it allows me to sort and upcycle stuff. This is good for me and good for the planet.
Sense of Accomplishment: I must admit, I do get a feeling of accomplishment when I have emptied drawers and cupboards, sorted through everything, and decluttered. It is a nice feeling.

My aim with decluttering is to free up space in my home and produce a better living environment that meets the requirements of my retirement.

It needs to be done.

Are you decluttering? If you are, please share your stories in the comments section.

This week in the Retirement Hustle

This week in The Retirement Side Hustle Newsletter, I started looking at scripting in videos. I explored the unscripted ‘winging it’ approach to making videos — Scripting — 'winging' your videos.

In the video newsletter, I look at the pros and cons of making unscripted videos and discuss when, where and how you should use them.

The Retirement Side Hustle Newsletter is subscription-based. However, each video comes with a free minute or so that allows you to confirm the content, and if you take out a free subscription, you get full access to one edition.

The Retirement Side Hustle

Travel — Nostalgia Corner

This week, I start my series of stories from Cambodia:

Cambodia — Siem Reap Tour, Cambodia — Taking the Tour. What were my plans for a four-day guided tour?
Cambodia — Château d’Angkor La Residence, Oum Chhay Street Mondul II Village, Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap 17259 Cambodia — My base for the next few days. I thought I had booked a hotel — I hadn’t.

As part of my visit to the country, I booked a four-day private tour — this is day one;

Cambodia — Day 1: Angkor Wat Temple (អង្គរវត្ត), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — the buildings — (part 1 of 2) — Stunning buildings but overall, not a great experience.
Cambodia — Day 1: Angkor Wat Temple (អង្គរវត្ត), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — the carvings (part 2 of 2) — Stunning carvings but overall, not a great experience
Cambodia — Day 1: Angkor Thom (អង្គរធំ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — The second temple of my trip.
Cambodia — Day 1: Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — part 1 of 2 — Where was Indiana Jones?
Cambodia — Day 1: Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — part 2 of 2 — Still exploring Ta Prohm (ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម).

Next week, more stories and temples from Cambodia.

Next week

Next week, in issue 166 (19), I will discuss the types of decluttering I am doing in my retirement.

Thanks

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Until next time,