The Retirement Newsletter: Nine types of decluttering
Issue Number: 166 (19) — how many have you done?
Welcome
Welcome to issue 166 (19) of the Retirement Newsletter.
Last week, in issue 165 (18), Decluttering in Retirement, I gave twelve reasons why we feel the urge to declutter when we retire. If you want to know the twelve, look at the last issue.
This week, I will look at the nine types of decluttering we can do in retirement. And next week, I will discuss some tips and tricks for decluttering our retirements.
The nine types of decluttering
I have been retired for 19 weeks, and every so often, I have a day or so of decluttering. In my bouts of decluttering and reading about decluttering, I have encountered nine types of decluttering:
1: Physical Decluttering:
When we think about decluttering, this is the type most people think about — Physical Decluttering. For me, there are three kinds of physical decluttering:
Home: I have been busy organising and removing unnecessary items from rooms, cupboards, and storage spaces. (Don’t forget the garage and any sheds you may have in the garden.) I still have a long way to go on this one.
Workplace: I decluttered my work area when I retired and moved out of my work office. However, I still have a home office and tidying up my home desk and workspace has been a real challenge.
Personal Items: As part of my decluttering, I have been sorting through clothes, accessories, and personal belongings. Some of the things I have thrown out, and some I have taken to local charity shops.
2. Digital Decluttering:
I have numerous computers and electronic devices, so digital decluttering has been a big task. I am also legally required to destroy all electronic copies of work material.
My digital clean-up has concentrated on four areas:
Files and Documents: I am in the process of organising and deleting unneeded files on your computer and cloud storage. This is a huge task that will take a lot of time.
Emails: I have cleaned up my inbox by unsubscribing from unnecessary newsletters and deleting old emails. I have also shut down several old email accounts and set up forwarders just in case anything important arrives.
Social Media: I have been through my social media feeds and unfollowed or unfriended accounts that I no longer wish to follow. I have also shut down or abandoned several of my social media accounts.
Domains and Blogs: Over the years, I have accumulated a surprising number of domains and blogs. I have spent the last 19 weeks shutting down domains and clearing out or consolidating old blogs. There still seems to be a lot to do.
3. Mental Decluttering:
Mental decluttering in retirement is essential and something we should all do, as it improves our mental health and enjoyment of retirement.
My mental decluttering started on day one of my retirement. I felt the stress decrease, and my worries lifted away. It was a great feeling. However, if you are struggling with mental decluttering, try Mindfulness and Meditation to clear your mind and reduce stress. Plus, journalling can help, as it allows you to write down thoughts to organise and understand your mental state.
One key aspect of mental decluttering is prioritising. I have found that identifying and focusing on what is important to me is very helpful as I continue my mental decluttering process.
4. Emotional Decluttering:
Emotional decluttering could be viewed as part of mental decluttering as, like mental decluttering, it can impact our mental health.
From what I have read, there are two forms of emotional decluttering we can undertake — forgiveness and relationship:
Forgiveness: Basically, letting go of past grievances and emotional baggage. I am finding this one extremely difficult to do, and there are some people I don’t think I will ever forgive. But that is life. I have forgiven some, but there are some I can’t forgive.
Relationships: We don’t need unhealthy relationships in our lives or our retirement. We must evaluate our relationships, keep the nurturing and positive ones, and reject the toxic ones. I consider myself quite lucky in this area as most of my relationships are positive, so no pruning needs to be done.
5. Financial Decluttering:
Financial decluttering in retirement is essential, and I have spent quite a bit of time decluttering my finances. What I have been doing is:
Budgeting: I have created a budget to manage my expenses and savings, and for once, I am trying to stick to it.
Simplifying Accounts: I have consolidated or closed unnecessary bank accounts and subscriptions. Subscriptions are an ongoing process. If you have credit cards, you should also review the cards and possibly ditch the ones you don’t need.
Decluttering Debt: Luckily, I entered retirement debt-free. But if I had, I would have developed a plan to pay off and manage my debts.
6. Time Decluttering:
Time decluttering is also an essential decluttering step to take in retirement, and I have taken the following steps to declutter my time:
Planning: I am prioritising tasks and activities to use my time better.
Reducing Commitments: I am reducing commitments by learning to say no to non-essential activities and obligations.
Productivity Tools: I am using tools on my computer, such as AI, to help with tasks and enhance my productivity.
Time decluttering is going well, and I have managed to free up time to do what I want.
7. Social Decluttering:
I had not considered social decluttering until I read about it. With social decluttering, you should evaluate your social circles and maintain meaningful relationships while distancing yourself from superficial ones. You should also prioritise quality over quantity and focus on deeper connections rather than numerous superficial acquaintances. I have tried to carry out this process, but I suspect I have subconsciously been doing it for years.
8. Spiritual Decluttering:
Spiritual Decluttering was also mentioned in some articles I read about decluttering. In the articles, they talked about:
Practices and Rituals: Engaging in spiritual practices that resonate with you, such as meditation, prayer, or yoga.
Aligning Values: Ensuring your actions and lifestyle align with your core beliefs and values.
Again, I have not carried out this. Maybe I should. Have you done spiritual decluttering in your retirement?
9. Environmental Decluttering:
And finally number 9, and this fits in with Physical Decluttering — Environmental Decluttering. Two things here to consider:
Eco-friendly Practices: Adopting sustainable practices to reduce environmental impact.
Minimalist Living: Simplifying your lifestyle to reduce consumption and waste.
While I am striving for both, they are challenging to obtain. Time will tell.
What have I missed?
OK, what have I missed? What other decluttering needs to be done? Please let me know in the comments.
This week in the Retirement Hustle
This week in The Retirement Side Hustle Newsletter, I discussed Using Prompted Videos in Your Retirement Side Hustle.
This is the second video of three on video scripting styles. The first video was on ‘winging it’ in your videos, and next week, I will be looking at going fully scripted with your videos.
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.
Travel — Nostalgia Corner
This week, more stories from Cambodia.
Cambodia — Old Market | Psar Chaa, Siem Reap (cor Street 11 and Hospital Street), Siem Reap, Cambodia — Exploring a local market. This was a ‘locals’ market and worth a look.
During my stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I took a three-day tour of the archaeological park — below are stories from day two of the tour:
Cambodia — Day 2: Banteay Srei Temple (ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — More temples in the archaeological park.
Cambodia — Day 2: Banteay Samré (បន្ទាយសំរែ), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — part 1 of 2 — As the tour moved down the list of temples to the less famous temples, the number of tourists thinned out.
Cambodia — Day 2: Pre Rup (ប្រែរូប), Angkor Archaeological Park, Angkor, Cambodia — This was my third and final temple complex of the day.
Cambodia — Day 2: Village Stop on my Siem Reap Tour — An uncomfortable experience.
Next week, some stories from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Next week
Next week, in issue 167 (20), I will look at some tips and tricks I have found to help me declutter.
Thanks
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Until next time,
Nick
PS: If you would like to contribute a story, give advice, or provide anything else to the newsletter, please get in touch.
Please note: I am not a financial advisor. When I write about money and financial matters, I base my opinions on what I have read over the years about money and retirement preparation. IT IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.