Despite being from Sweden and growing up there I'd never heard about this concept
called "Swedish death cleaning." So, I called my 82 year old Granddad to try to figure some things
out about this thing called "death cleaning," or, "dostadning," as we call it in Swedish. So,
Swedish death cleaning has existed for a very long time. But, not really as how we know it today.
According to my Granddad dostadning is something Swedish people do when they get really old or,
even after they die. So, what you would do as an older Swedish person; you would either call your
family or, a firm to come and pick up all the stuff you no longer use and they can have it,
instead of having to figure that out after you're dead. It's a very practical and very Swedish but,
not necessarily "minimalist." But, the Swedish death cleaning trend that's all over social media
is a bit different from this historic one. So what this essentially is, is a new method inspired by
the old. And it was created by Swedish artists Magareta Magnusson. Margareta wrote the book
'The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.' And, it became an instant success. Her method means
that you organize your life now, not when you're old or, when you're dying. And, one of my favorite
things that she says is, that if you don't feel motivated to organize your life now; 'You should
really do it.' Only because the people who will have to look after those things after you're gone.
And, this really is such a realistic and truthful motivator for minimalism and not keeping stuff you
don't need. Because, at the end someone will have to deal with it. So, how do you do the Swedish
death cleaning? Well, Margareta says she always starts by asking yourself, 'Will this item make
me or, someone else happy?' So, it's very similar to the Konmari method created by Marie Kondo. And
the first key point is that anyone can do it. So, age doesn't matter but, Margareta suggests that
if you're 50, you should definitely start your death cleaning now! And, what I also really like
is that she talks about this method to improving and organizing your life, so you can live a better
life now. The second point is to do this slowly. In the book Margaret emphasizes that this is a
slow lifestyle change and it shouldn't be a goal you can complete. So, although we can declutter
and organize our lives, this doesn't become a lifestyle change unless we stop buying new
stuff. And, actually consider how we declutter. Number three is careful consideration. This means
carefully considering what items you'd like to leave behind. Number four is a different one but,
this one is embarrassing things. What this really is, is that if you have any embarrassing things
that may hurt someone you love; you should really get rid of them now. Rather, than they figuring it
out after you're dead. Number five, and I also really like this point, is to tell your family
and friends. Not telling them that you're dying but, telling them that you are death cleaning.
Margareta says that the reason you should do this; is that, so you make sure that everyone knows this
is your responsibility and not theirs. Number six is be reasonable. This is a super Swedish
and logical point but, this means going through the items in a clever way that makes sense.
So, instead of starting with things you have emotional attachment to like photographs or,
old memories; start with something very simple, like your wardrobe or, maybe your garage.
Number seven, and this is my favorite point, is to give things as gifts. So next time for example,
you go to a dinner party; instead of giving flowers you can give a few of your old books.
Especially books; even if they're used can be such a good gift to give away and, especially if they
look a bit antique or vintage. I love reading so I used to have quite a big library but, I had to
give them all away; because I'm moving countries so much and they're not so easy to take with me.
So, I used to give books as gifts and I used to write little notes in them. Which make them a
really sweet gift. Number eight is a Swedish quote that is not super easy to translate into English
but, it's something like; "One man's treasure." The literal translation of the Swedish quote is:
"Treasure for someone, burden for someone else." And, what this really means is that when you clean
out you should consider the items that are a burden for you, to absolutely not keep them.
And, also the items that can be a burden for someone else, once you're gone;
not keeping them either. Number nine is a fun one, and that is to reward yourself. Rewarding yourself
for all the hard work is really, really important. But, not buy stuff, of course. So, instead reward
yourself by going to the cinema or, having a nice meal or, any fun experience you can think of. So,
Swedish death cleaning or, minimalism? I'm not sure what this is but, I really, really like the
idea of the new Swedish death cleaning. I know firsthand how difficult it is cleaning out the
apartment or, the space of someone you loved and going through all their things. It can really be
heartbreaking. So I really love the idea of people taking responsibility for their items
and belongings before they're dead. And, taking responsibility for your stuff and, death cleaning
and, organizing; is also the best reminder of impermanence. And, impermanence is such
an important thing to learn! And it's something really important to consider because it really
helps us with our happiness and, how to understand the world. So, no matter your age I think you
can start your death cleaning today. I know I've definitely started and, it's very fun to know all
these things you have and, not have anything in storage; and things you don't know where they are
but, having everything in order. This was such a fun video to make. Thank you so much for watching.
And, thank you to the subscriber who suggested this video! I love making a video about something
that's so close to my heart. Because, I am Swedish but, I rarely talk about my cultural heritage;
and I really, really enjoy it. It was also very fun to get to call my Grandad who didn't
understand at all why anyone would be interested in the Swedish death cleaning. I'd love to hear
your thoughts! What you think about this concept of Swedish death cleaning. So, please leave them
down below! And don't forget to subscribe! Because it really helps the channel. Thank
you so much for watching. And, I hope you enjoyed this video. And, I will see you next week! Bye.