Inside: Discover the lessting decluttering method and how you can use it to effectively simplify your home and life.
In a world filled with excess, decluttering has become a necessity for those of us who are seeking a more peaceful and intentional life.
However, traditional decluttering methods often focus on the act of removing things from our space without addressing the deeper reasons behind why we accumulate so much in the first place.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your belongings or feel like you’re constantly decluttering without making meaningful, lasting progress, it may be time for a new approach – like “lessting”.
Unlike many strategies to address clutter, lessting isn’t a standardized step-by-step model to follow to clear stuff out of your home.
Instead, it’s a revolutionary mindset shift that focuses more on memories and experiences than physical things, helping you reevaluate your relationship and emotional attachment to your possessions.
Sure – getting rid of things is certainly part of the process. But it’s really about taking a step back and learning how to find fulfillment through non-material aspects of life, like meaningful experiences, relationships, and personal growth.
Whether you’re looking to simplify your home, embrace a more minimal lifestyle, or just regain control over your space, lessting provides a framework that helps you make peace with your belongings and prioritize what truly matters.
What is the lessting decluttering method?
The term “lessting” is essentially the opposite of “nesting.” When we’re nesting, we’re often filling our homes with things to make them feel cozy and comfortable – often in preparation for a big shift, like the arrival of a newborn.
Lessting represents a different kind of shift – a change of perspective that encourages you to detach from excessive material possessions and instead focus on building a life centered around experiences, memories, and intentional living.
While traditional decluttering techniques aim to tidy up physical spaces, lessting prompts you to dig deeper by examining the emotional and psychological ties we have to our belongings.
At its core, lessting asks a simple but powerful decluttering question: Are my possessions enhancing my life, or are they weighing me down?
Rather than approaching decluttering as a one-time task or a repetitive cycle, lessting promotes a long-term mindset shift.
It challenges you to assess not only what you own but also why you own it, helping you let go of items that no longer serve a meaningful purpose while preventing future accumulation of unnecessary clutter.
Who can benefit from the lessting decluttering method?
Lessting is for anyone who wants to live a simpler life with less physical stuff. It can be particularly beneficial for older people who feel burdened by a lifetime of accumulated possessions, many of which are tied to feelings of nostalgia.
However, virtually anyone can embrace this method to reduce clutter and live more intentionally.
Older individuals often struggle with years, if not decades, of accumulated belongings that evoke memories and sentimental attachment.
Downsizing or parting with these items can feel like erasing history, but lessting provides a way to shift the focus from objects to the experiences and relationships they represent.
By detaching from the need to keep everything, they can create a lighter, more peaceful living space while still honoring their past.
Additionally, young professionals and families can also benefit by cultivating a lifestyle based on experiences rather than material possessions.
Parents, in particular, can use this approach to instill in their children the value of memories over things, reducing clutter in the home and emphasizing shared activities and moments over buying more toys, books, and stuff.
Ultimately, anyone who feels overwhelmed by a constant influx of new possessions, digital clutter, or unnecessary shopping habits can use lessting to regain control over their environment and mental well-being.
How can you apply the lessting decluttering method in your life?
Lessting isn’t just about letting go. It’s about shifting your entire mindset around what truly brings value and meaning to your life.
Rather than focusing solely on what to remove and how quickly you can clear it out, this method encourages thoughtful consideration around what to keep and why.
Here are some ways you can leverage the concept of lessting to declutter your space and shift your priorities away from physical things:
1. Reevaluate your emotional attachment to your possessions.
Take a step back and ask yourself why you find it hard to part with your physical belongings. Is it because they genuinely add value to your life? Or is it because of guilt, nostalgia, or a fear of letting go?
Instead of clinging to things for the sake of sentimentality, think about how you can preserve the memories those items invoke without keeping the physical items.
Photographs, videos, or journaling can be great ways to capture those feelings without taking up so much space.
2. Slowly and methodically evaluate what you own.
Rather than attempting to declutter your entire home in a day, take a slow and intentional approach. Set aside time to go through different areas of your home, assessing each item with fresh eyes.
Ask yourself whether it serves a purpose, adds joy, or holds genuine value in your life. And give yourself time and grace to process the feelings that may arise when decluttering those sentimental, emotionally-charged possessions.
By working through your belongings methodically, you can make more mindful and lasting decisions about what to keep and what to release.
3. Prioritize experiences over physical stuff.
There are so many ways to evoke joy, comfort, and happiness without relying on the accumulation of more stuff. Instead of buying souvenirs, take more photos.
Instead of filling your home with decor, fill your time with meaningful activities. This shift in focus naturally leads to less clutter while increasing fulfillment.
4. Redefine your concept of “home.”
Instead of viewing your home as a place to store things, start seeing it as a space for comfort and connection.
Arrange your home in a way that supports your lifestyle, not your belongings. Create open spaces that allow you to breathe, think, and enjoy life more fully.
5. Release yourself from the burden of unused items.
Many of us hold onto items out of obligation, even when they no longer serve us.
Whether it’s gifts from loved ones, inherited belongings, or expensive purchases we regret, these items can weigh us down emotionally without adding any value to our lives.
Lessting encourages us to free ourselves from this burden by donating, repurposing, or passing items along to someone who will truly appreciate them.
What do you think about the lessting decluttering method? Leave a comment and let me know!
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So timely!!!!! Thank you !!!!!!
I ove this idea. I have been trying to accumulate less and declutter items I no longer use or want. A mindset shift takes time but it t really helps to have a term like lessting to attach to it!
You nailed it! That’s exactly the concept I’ve been creating content and products around. I just had not heard that term. I’ve been using “legacy decluttering”. Well-written article. I’m sharing it with my subscribers in my next email! Thanks for the term “lessting”!
Thank you for sharing this great concept! I don’t have a lot of things after downsizing a few times.
My problem is organization and decorating my small apartment while having ADHD. It’s the pitts!
Any suggestions? Appreciate any feedback and thank you so very much!!!!
have you checked out Dana K, or Cas from Clutterbug on YouTube? They both have ADHD and are both organizer ect. They have both helped many people!
Perusing minimalist websites led to buying a couple of books with compelling content as well as photographs of what many or most would consider extreme minimalism. However, these publications have had an deep impact on my present outlook, essentially informing my decision to own very little. The satisfaction I have gained as a result of decluttering a 1260 square foot ranch home with an attached garage on an oversized double lot has informed my decision to make a career turn as well as maintain a lifestyle that affords me more freedom to do as I please. The powerful trick that I used as I purged was asking myself whether or not I would buy such and such again. It was scary, because so much of my wardrobe entailed impulsive decisions that provided me with expensive but unused clothing, much of which supported the perception of what has been termed as “the fantasy self.” I also ridded my garage of things that I never would have thrown out or donated by asking myself if I were to sell my house, would I want to take it along. The answer was usually no, along with recognizing who I’d become. I didn’t see myself barbequing or using the cooler chest to hold ice and host backyard parties, even for two people on a sunny afternoon. I didn’t see myself doing this because I went out to eat if I didn’t cook. I didn’t fear getting rid of the extra snow shovel in case one broke because our neighbor snowblows our driveway. On and on I went until empty shelves appeared along with loosened drawers ànd more floor space. It was awesome to return̈ home and see a bigger place, leading me down a path that I never believed was possible until experiencing this major shift in my environment. There is no turning back once you feel it!
Lessting. Am I spelling it corectly? Doesn’t come up as an actual word. However if gathering items needed for times like when you are welcoming a new baby is nesting, then I would say letting go of things when seasons of life changes is lessting, and a good idea. It seems I have been lessting all my life.
Yes you spelled it right and I think it is a made up word. It was created to be a spin off of ‘nesting’.
Lessting is a good concept. I like the Thought Process behind it, not just decluttering and letting go of ones belongings. However, I feel since I was diagnosed with a complex chronic illness, and that is a huge change in my life, and I know logically I should own less, let go and simplify my life. My belongings now give me comfort etc as I can no longer “live”, have adventures, and collect new memories like I was able to do before. Letting go now has a different meaning to me….I hope I can find a middle ground.
Thanks for this valuable info about lessting. I am getting started today. Thanks for sharing.
I finished reading it and I’ve done a lot of contemplating. I’ve always lived a messy life having messy things and today I’ve come to realized that indeed it was my attachment to my things and the fear of letting them go that’ve caused me to hold on to them. This helped me a lot to take courage so I can live a more peaceful, organized and intentional life.
I am decluttering but it’s a slow process. I like your concept and am going to try lessting as I do tend to dwell on letting go of emotional belongings.
Thank you for sharing.
Enjoy reading your tips on decluttering, and lessting, always need ideas and motivation when feeling overwhelmed with my clutter I seem to easily accumulate, mainly because I love gardening more, but need to balance my time spent inside as well, as a messy indoors is not good for my mindset.