Swedish Death Cleaning – and Living

How Decluttering Can Help You Focus on What Matters

Every year as I am putting away my Christmas decorations, I think about getting rid of some of them. I have limited storage space, so it just makes sense to clear out some of the ornaments that are no longer in great shape or the garland I don’t use much anymore. But I rarely do. I have all kinds of reasons why. Maybe a relative gave it to me, maybe I’ll use it next year, maybe . . .

It isn’t just Christmas decorations. I think many of us have a lot of “extra” around our homes. Whether it is books, craft supplies, some sort of knick-knack collection, or clothes that no longer fit, we have stuff in our homes, sometimes a lot of stuff, that is hard for us to part with.

That is why there is a concept called “Swedish Death Cleaning.” Apparently, it was trending last year (there is even a reality TV show about it), but I just recently heard of it. A few years before, the Marie Kondo method of decluttering sparked interest with her advice to choose to keep only what “sparks joy.” Swedish death cleaning is a little different.

What is Swedish Death Cleaning and How Can It Help You?

The term comes from the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnussen. While there are personal benefits to living without a lot of clutter (many people report feeling less stress and more focus and control when their surroundings are clear), Magnussen promotes getting rid of our possessions for the sake of our families. Maybe not when we are young and starting out, but when we are approaching middle age or beyond, when we are starting to wonder about our later years, is a good time to begin thinking about all we have accumulated.

Many of us believe that the stuff we value and hold dear will automatically be valued by others – but most likely the things we hold onto and fill our homes with will end up out front in a yard sale. Our collections, our letters, our stuff, is ours and means more to us than it could ever to someone else, and Magnussen asks us not to burden our family with possibly months of sorting and deciding. Leaving it all for our family to deal with also takes the power away from us to determine where our belongings will actually go.

The author encourages us. She says the process is not sad – it can be a good thing to remember why each item holds special memories for us, and she also gives concrete tips, such as starting with the largest objects, like furniture, and objects that hold little emotion

first. It is not meant to be a speedy process. Even Magnussen took almost a year to go through her belongings. It isn’t so much about throwing things away as it is about deciding what truly matters.

Living with Intention

I think you will find much of Magnussen’s advice to be helpful, but let me encourage you with one additional tip: while you sort through your belongings, with your death in mind, to determine what is most important, give some serious thought not only to what you do with your stuff but also what you do with your time. Whether we are around for one more year or fifty, what we do with our time, our lives, is what truly matters.

Preparing for our death can bring clarity to our lives. Death “living” helps us ask and answer if what we are doing right now specifically in this moment and with our lives in general is important. Is it worthwhile? Is it pleasing to God and helpful for others? Is this the best way to make our lives count for something?

Reading the Swedish death cleaning book helped me know how to deal with my clutter, but the whole idea made my wonder about my time. I hope it is helpful for you too.