“Decluttering” – What Your Junk Drawer is Trying to Tell You

June 16, 2026

When we hear the word “decluttering,” and many have been hearing a lot about it lately, we often think of cleaning out a junk drawer, organizing a closet, sorting through the basement, or finally opening that memory box we have been avoiding for years. So, what is that junk drawer trying to tell you?

YES, it may start with one junk drawer filled with old pens, mystery keys, batteries that may or may not work, and coupons that expired sometime around the last presidential administration.

But here is what I have learned: decluttering is rarely about the “stuff.” It is about the emotional energy attached to the stuff.

It is about the decisions we have postponed, the memories we have packed away, the identity we are shifting from, and the next chapter we are slowly making room for.

As many of you know, I have been working on my newest book, Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Life.

I have not written from a minimalist perspective, and the process has taken me on quite a journey.

I always write from where I am in the present, and I thought I was writing about organizing.

However, life had other plans: “Oh no, Michele, we’re going deeper than that, especially in the basement!”

Because when you start clearing a drawer, a closet, a basement, or a box of family keepsakes, you begin to ask bigger emotional questions.

• Why am I keeping this?
• Does this still serve the life I am living now?
• Am I holding onto this because I love it, or because I feel guilty letting it go?
• Is this memory meant to be stored in a box, or honored in a new way?

Decluttering becomes a form of personal growth:

• One drawer can give you a little control back.
• One cleared closet can help you breathe easier.
• One basement project can remind you that you are not stuck in the past.
• And one memory box can

Now, let me be clear. I am not saying we should toss away our history. …..I love memories…… I believe in honoring our stories, our families, our chapters, and our experiences.

There is a difference between honoring memories and oneself being buried under them. There is a difference between keeping meaningful treasures and storing emotional weight. And sometimes, the clutter in our home becomes visual noise for the mind and even the body.

• You walk past the pile, and your shoulders tighten.
• You open the closet and think, “Not today.”
• You go into the basement and suddenly need a snack, a nap, or a whole new personality.

We laugh, but it is true.

Clutter can quietly drain our energy. And at this stage of life, energy is precious. Our space should support our movement, our peace, our creativity, and with AGE-GILITY.

Decluttering is part of vibrant aging:

• Because a clear path in your home can become a clear path in your life.
• A clear counter can become a calmer morning.
• A clear bedroom can lead to better rest.
• A clear basement can become freedom from the “someday” pile, especially if you are, what I call, a “solo-ager,” without children.
• A clear decision can become momentum.

Therefore, here is the curiosity piece I want to leave you with today, and it is something I explore more in the book:

Sometimes the hardest thing to let go of is not the item. It is the version of ourselves we were when we first kept it.

• The career clothes from a job we no longer have.
• The hobby supplies from a phase we outgrew.
• The family items we inherited but never really chose.
• The paperwork we keep because we are afraid we might need it “just in case.”
• The boxes we avoid because they carry love, grief, guilt, or unfinished stories.

Decluttering asks us to be honest, but also to be kind. This is not about perfection, not about having a magazine-ready home. This is not about becoming a minimalist overnight and living with one chair, one spoon, and a plant.

Think about it, creating a space that lets you live with more ease.

Here is your simple Tuesday Truth challenge: Pick one small space this week. Not the whole basement, the entire garage, every closet in the house. Just one drawer, one shelf, one basket, or one box.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and ask yourself three questions:

• Do I use it?
• Do I love it?
• Does it belong in the next chapter of my life?

If the answer is yes, keep it with intention. If the answer is no, release it with gratitude. And if the answer is “I need to think about it,” give yourself a small “maybe” box.

That is how we begin. Small spaces. Small decisions. BIG freedom.

Ultimnelty, my upcoming book, Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Life, is not just about what we remove from our homes. It is about what we make room for: movement, peace, clarity, purpose, and the next chapter we are still growing into in our lives.

• Because we are… not done living.
• We are not …. done becoming.
• And we are certainly not … done creating space for what matters.

Lastly, Today’s Tuesday Truth is this: When you clear space around you, you create space within you.

• Start with one drawer. Start with one box. Start where you are.
• And as always, move forward with AGE-GILITY.

Bye for now.