Recently, I've had the excuse to start going through my closets, donating all the clothes and shoes I no longer use to a local charity. So far, I've filled 4 donation bags, and I am likely to fill at least one more before I'm done. Yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg - I have other things to clear up in this apartment as well.
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When I had a steady girlfriend, I tried to keep the place neat enough for someone to come over and spend a weekend. She'd tell you that I was far from perfect in this regard. But when she broke up with me and the pandemic started, I let my place go to hell. And I'm gradually clearing my place up from a full year (and more) that I stopped caring about much.
My closets were not just overflowing with clothes. They were overflowing with other things as well, such as old electronics (and associated supplies) that I figured I might use again. These days, I no longer record much on CD-Roms. Yet, I have a supply of blank CD's, DVD's and associated cases that I haven't touched in years. My newest computer didn't even come with a CD/DVD drive - it assumed that everyone uses memory sticks. Even now, after a cleanup has started, I have more things to get rid of than to keep.
The storage area in my basement is even worse. There is stuff in it that I haven't touched since my wife was alive. And I have to get around to cleaning this area out, so that I have room to store the things I do use. Not only do I have the bulk of my Vinyl (33 1/3 rpm) record collection downstairs, but I have 2 never assembled cabinets for this collection stored there as well. (Do you know of anyone who might take this collection off my hands?)
The Swedish have a word for what I want to do with my apartment and storage area: Döstädning. This word refers to the Swedish practice of "death cleaning." No, this process is not morbid in nature. Instead, it is a process of removing the clutter from one's life, so that one can live the rest of it more productively. It also has the side benefit of making it easier for one's heirs to settle out one's estate when that time comes.
One person I know has to go through this process as she had to move out of her place sometime in the next month. I have a choice. Do it now, or let things fester until I am no longer able to do the cleaning by myself. And then it will be much, much harder for me to deal with. So, now is the right time to work on this project when I have the time to do so.
