Most of us have a drawer, a shelf, or a tote bag that holds more pens than one person could use in a lifetime. One TikTok creator finally decided to face hers, and the trip down memory lane included a stack of notes from her senior year of college.
The creator, @michellegraviet, says she recently decided she owns way too many things. Instead of starting somewhere intimidating like her closet, she chose a simple spot to begin: notebooks and pens. “I thought it’d be easier to start someplace simple,” she says in her video.
Her rule for the day was clear. She would only keep things she would actually use. That one sentence is the secret behind most successful decluttering, and she stuck to it from the first notebook to the last pen.
@michellegraviet
A Trip Back To Senior Year
The notebooks came first. She says these are some of her favorite types of notebooks, the ones she used throughout college. Some of them she had not opened in a very long time, and a few held notes from her senior year. She laughs at the version of herself who wrote them, calling her the person who “did the most when it came to taking notes.”
One notebook had a clever design she liked: a cover that slides completely off, so you can add more paper and slide it back on. Another was from before she met her husband, Andy. She can tell by what she wrote, because she was meal planning for one, which means it dates to when she was living alone.
She also pulled out a pile of to-do list notepads from a brand called Sumner Lane that she loves. Not every notebook was destined for the trash. Some were in good shape and unused, so she set them aside as gifts. By the time she finished, she noted that the gifting pile was higher than the keep pile, and she called that a success.
The Great Pen Purge
Pens were next. She made clear that markers, paints, colored pencils, and other art supplies were off the table for now, since she wants to keep all of those. That meant, in her words, they were “not starting off strong,” but she pressed on.
She found highlighters in three different shades of gray and asked herself if she really needed them all. She decided she wanted one. Pens that were out of ink went straight to the trash. Ones that worked poorly were offered first to her sister, and if her sister did not want them, they would go to friends.
When the dust settled, the pens she kept were a tidy, well-loved collection. She listed gel pens, three fountain pens, three Tombow markers, a small Bundy one, Copic markers, brush pens, her Muji pens, a few clicky Pilot Juice pens, and Zig dot markers. She also kept her eyeliners, and she says she only kept colors she really loves.
The result, she says, “looks so much better.” She finished with a hopeful thought: if she can do this to every section and every aspect of her life, she thinks she will be much happier in a few months. Then she asked her followers which section she should declutter next, noting that hoodies were her original idea but felt too hard.
Why Starting Small Works
Her instinct to begin with stationery is smart. Paper and pens carry less emotional weight than clothes, gifts, or family keepsakes, so decisions come fast. Each quick decision builds confidence for the harder ones that come later, like the closet she is saving for another day.
Here are some ways to run your own stationery purge in about an hour.
- Test every pen on a scrap of paper. Anything dry, scratchy, or leaking goes in the trash right then.
- Flip through old notebooks and tear out any pages worth keeping. Recycle the rest, and keep the blank pages for a fresh notebook.
- Choose a favorite in each category. If you have three of the same kind of highlighter, keep the one you reach for first.
- Create a gift pile. Unused notebooks, notepads, and planners make nice presents for a niece, a neighbor, or a teacher.
- Decide on a home for what you keep, such as one cup, one drawer, or one small bin, and let that container set your limit.
What To Do With Old College Notes
Old class notes are a classic hard-to-toss item. If you worry you might want to look at them someday, flip through quickly and keep only a page or two that makes you smile. A snapshot on your phone can hold the memory without the paper stack. Most people find that once the notes are photographed, letting go gets much easier.
Pens that work but do not suit you can be passed along to family, a local school, or a community center. Many classrooms are glad to take a bag of working pens and unused notebooks, which helps the clutter leave your house with a purpose.
The biggest takeaway from this creator’s video is how little it takes to get started. One category, one afternoon, and one clear rule were all she needed. Her followers can see the finished pen collection and feel the relief of a lighter shelf. If a single drawer can feel that good, imagine what a whole room might do. Pick your simple spot, set your rule, and start sorting.
More Stories You May Like
- She Went From A Four Bedroom House With Three Kids To Owning Only What Fits In Her Subaru, And Shares 12 Ruthless Downsizing Tips
- Five Ruthless Decluttering Tricks That Go Against Everything You Have Heard Are Shared by a Woman Who Used Them to Empty Her Packed Attic
- Best and Worst Decluttering Methods Get Tested by One Woman Who Tried Every Single One and Ranks the Results
