{"id":18135,"date":"2020-12-20T16:37:23","date_gmt":"2020-12-20T08:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=18135"},"modified":"2021-11-10T22:03:48","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T14:03:48","slug":"decluttering-amidst-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2020\/12\/decluttering-amidst-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Decluttering amidst Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How pandemic gives rise to decluttering – a way to cope with heightened global uncertainty.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kelly Yu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen Chan Ka-man, a 38-year-old photography assistant says the coronavirus outbreak was a turning point for her to rethink her lifestyle and start practising decluttering after she lost her job earlier this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know where to start (decluttering). It gets to a point where I feel like my whole life is a mess,\u201d Chan says, adding that her room was cluttered with random items like receipts, accessories and small gifts, a lot of which were not even unwrapped. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She finally sought help in October from Orange Tam, a certified professional organiser providing home decluttering service in Hong Kong, after her repeated attempts to clean up her home had failed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam helped Chan to remove clutter and categorise her belongings in storage boxes within a few hours, clearing out a personal space in her room where she can finally put her books and music albums. With Tam\u2019s help, Chan says she can now tell what item is important in her life and what is not. \u201cIt is a life-changing moment for me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Orange Tam provides home decluttering service in Hong Kong. (Photo courtesy of Orange Tam)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Organise Home to Organise Yourself <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam created a Facebook page JuppUk (\u57f7\u5c4b) in 2016 to share decluttering tips and to offer organising service. The Facebook page has attracted more than 11,000 likes and followers as of November, 2020. It has gained about 1,000 followers during the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam has seen a growing demand for decluttering service in Hong Kong due to the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople want to have a higher standard of living environment now as they need to work from home all day. Some clients request specifically to have their workstation cleared,\u201d Tam says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the only Hongkonger certified by the U.S.-based National Association of Productivity and Organising Professionals, Tam says she hopes to advocate decluttering in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She describes decluttering in a city with excess consumerism as a vicious cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe work so hard, so we buy things to treat ourselves. We end up hoarding things at home and wake up the next morning to work hard again,\u201d Tam says. She advises clients to think twice before they buy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpace planning is important for optimising physical space. It helps create a clutter-free environment and boost productivity.\u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to a survey conducted by Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organisation, Hong Kong topped the charts in unhealthy consumerist shopping habits in 2017. 53 per cent of 1,000 Hong Kong respondents are owning clothes that they had never worn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam says decluttering is not merely about throwing everything away. \u201cSpace planning is important for optimising physical space. It helps create a clutter-free environment and boost productivity,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She suggests beginners to start decluttering step by step. \u201cStart from small corners in your house, or else it (the process) will be too overwhelming,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chan’s room before decluttering. (Photo Courtesy of Carmen Chan)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chan’s room after decluttering. (Photo Courtesy of Carmen Chan)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mental Decluttering<\/strong> and Minimalism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam thinks decluttering is not just for physical freedom, but also mental freedom.\u201cDecluttering is a journey of understanding yourself. It makes you understand more about your own needs,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we are tidying our stuff, we are also reviewing our past. It is a process to settle our past feelings and relationships. We will find it easier to get rid of old habits and unpleasant experiences in the past,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we are tidying our stuff, we are also reviewing our past. \u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Tam is not alone in her pursuit of decluttering. Erica Ip Ka-yee, a 28-year-old tax consultant, thinks living with less has helped her to focus on the essentials in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before practising mental decluttering, Ip found it difficult to let go of others\u2019 expectations. But now, she says she is able to commit more time to herself by journaling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ip set up a blog Minimalist HK in 2017 to promote a minimalist lifestyle among Hongkongers. Minimalism first emerged as an art movement in late 1960s in the United States, characterised by extreme simplicity in art-related spectrums. Today, it has become a lifestyle trend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMinimalism is about going back to yourself. Sometimes we are not aware that we try too hard to live up to others\u2019 expectations. It is always beneficial to get rid of the clutter in your mind and in your surroundings to focus on what\u2019s important,\u201d Ip says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ip says keeping a clear mind is important. \u201cThe root of minimalism comes from philosophy – keeping a curious mind and exploring within yourself. It goes back to what to focus in life and how to spread this vibe to people around you,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ip says the pandmic has forced us to go back to the basics as we have fewer travels and social gatherings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe root of minimalism comes from philosophy – keeping a curious mind and exploring within yourself.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Erica Ip set up a blog Minimalist HK to promote a minimalist lifestyle among Hongkongers. (Photo courtesy of Erica Ip)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Focus on What We Can Control<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carole Bradshaw, a U.K.-based Core Process Psychotherapist and one of the directors at Integrated Medicine Institute of Hong Kong, points out decluttering can also help deal with uncertainty during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pandemic has heightened uncertainty on a global level. Our environment further affects our health. When we are surrounded by clutter, this often triggers stress responses such as anxiety,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds that decluttering helps to create structure and order which can reduce stress and anxiety amid the lockdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhilst we cannot control the wider effects of the pandemic, we can focus on what we can control in our environment. Clearing out our space, our homes, our desk, is one example of what we can control,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLiving more simply is less stressful and less clutter supports clarity of mind,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Regina Chen<\/em>
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