If you’ve known me for a while, you know that I am really messy and have a bit of a hoarding problem.

And this problem didn’t really bother me too much until I read this book:

Since reading this book, I’ve been trying to declutter/live simply for the last year or so, but it’s been really difficult. So today, I tackled a smaller task, which is minimalizing my accessories collection.

Here are (almost) all of my accessories — necklaces, earrings, and some rings:

Some were super easy to throw out….

…like a ring I got from Old Navy randomly and an earring that has lost its partner (plus I never liked it anyway).

And something that’s broken and not fixable– definitely toss away.

These, too, were easy to throw away:

(From left: missing the other one, small, cheap studs that don’t look good on me, and repeat purchase from Forever21)

But some were harder to toss…

The two rings on the left were “couple rings” my mom got for me from Korea for Alex and me when we got engaged; the ring on the right is Alex’s first wedding band (from Amazon, but its the one we got married with…so cheap rings but very sentimental.

And last one I struggled with…

 

I love this necklace but it’s broken and I’ve been too lazy to fix it…for almost a year. Hmmmm do I toss it or keep it (and fix it)? Okay, I decided to keep it, BUT if it’s not fixed by the end of the month, I will toss it.

Aaaaaaand after that quick KonMari-ing session — it took me less than 10 minutes–, I am left with the following:

 

I know, I know. It’s pretty much the same. But at least I tried, right?

Okay, fine. I will try again soon. BUT here are some things I learned:

1. Try to find EVERYTHING from the category you’re trying to declutter — so the truth is not all of my accessories are represented in the photo because I have my earrings everywhere in the apartment.
2. Set up a rule for yourself — KonMari’s is “Does it spark joy?” is easy to follow. I like this rule because it’s simple and intuitive. Another one is “Would I buy it again?”
3. And finally, do it quickly — more time to think about it = more likely to keep it.

That’s it! So maybe I didn’t have a perfect decluttering session, but it’s a start. I will try again and hopefully will be one step closer to living the simpler life I always dream about.

For now, I will enjoy my thousands of earrings and continue to be in denial of my hoarding problem.