Minimalism and Decluttering with Sona Avetisyan

“With fewer things, you're actually able to spend more time doing the things that really add value to your life.”

–Sona Avetisyan

You have too much stuff! It’s easy to accumulate and hard to get rid of, but stuff can suck time and energy. Minimalism sounds good. Uncluttered living sounds good. So how do you get there? I’m excited to talk to Sona Avetisyan, a professional organizer and decluttering coach.

Imagine living with less physical and mental clutter. Sounds appealing doesn’t it? But I know so many women who try to declutter and get overwhelmed. We keep thinking about it as a thing we do, something we can check off the list. Really, it’s a lifestyle. It’s like a healthy lifestyle, ongoing shifts you make.

Instead of starting with a huge organizing and decluttering project, like your whole house or the basement, Sona recommends starting small: your purse or the junk drawer. Start doable, and build from there.

We talk about: 

• Starting with the easy stuff—broken things, duplicates, things that belong to somebody else—and getting rid of stuff first and then organizing
• Why we have trouble letting go of things — and how to get past feeling bad about throwing things away
• How letting go of things we don’t use opens both space and energy
• Noticing how your body feels when you think about an object: How much does it mean to me? Does my face light up? Does my heart open when I see this?
• Minimalism as intentional living or quality over quantity
• Following the steps for decluttering your mind as you do for physical space

ABOUT SONA

Hi, I’m Sona Avetisyan, a professional organizer and decluttering coach. I help busy overwhelmed moms live life with less mental and physical clutter so they can have more time to do the things that make them feel more fulfilled. I am a single mom of two and an entrepreneur and I know what a full plate feels like. This is why I am so passionate about what I do and would choose to do it even if I didn’t have to work. Taking anything off a mom’s plate is what I live for!

LINKS

• www.theminimalist.me
• Instagram: @theminimalist.me
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonaMinimalistPO

MENTIONED LINKS

• Parenting Simplified with Kim John Payne
• FLOW Planner

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Change comes from action. 

Doable changes are things that you can add into your life, one at a time to make micro shifts and really create a ripple effect that will create a big change over time. Choose one that really piques your interest and roll with it. 

Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:

• DECLUTTER ONE SMALL SPACE. Pick one space to declutter: your purse or bag or the junk drawer are good starting spaces. First get rid of anything that is broken, a duplicate, trash, or belongs to somebody else. Is there anything else that you find that you realized you don’t need or want? Get rid of that. Organize what’s left. Next step Doable Change: once you have decluttered the space, get intentional about what goes into that space. Check in daily or weekly to clear out anything that is starting to creep into that space. 
• NOTICE HOW YOU FEEL. Some stuff just feels harder to get rid of: books, sentimental things, things we paid a lot of money for. Try this: Think about the object and notice how you feel in your body. Does your face light up? Does your heart open? Do you feel weight or tension? That light an opening suggest there’s a reason to keep the object. The weight or tension or guilt or “should” suggest it’s one you can let go.
• DECLUTTER YOUR MIND. Too much mental clutter? Grab a journal or even scrap paper and write down everything in your mind. Then organize it into categories. Once you can see all the stuff, notice what aligns with your values and goals right now. Prioritize and then schedule the things that are important.