We’ve completed our Swedish death cleaning

Have you heard of Swedish death cleaning? We hadn’t until our financial advisor suggested we approach our financial well-being and planning from scratch, as our lifestyle and needs have changed significantly over the past 18 months. We no longer own a house and all the things that go in it and with it. Our nomad / work / lifestyle necessitated a total clean out of our possessions resulting in us donating a large portion and selling the rest. Our altered lifestyle also necessitates a purposeful relook at our life admin. The financial planning process starts with a questionnaire that runs through all the assets and liabilities and then ends with dreams and goals for the future. What would you like to retire on, by when, what do you need monthly/annually if your spouse dies and so on. As we walked through the process we realised, with great joy, that our lives are cleaned out. Things are so much simpler and we’ve completed our Swedish death cleaning without even knowing we were doing it. What is Swedish death cleaning? It is a well-known concept in Swedish and Scandinavian culture and is based on a book by Margareta Magnusson titled “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter.” Magnusson, a Swede, wrote the book after dealing with disposing of possessions following the deaths of her parents and husband. She writes about the Swedish idea of döstädning, which translates to death cleaning. {Dö = death & städning = cleaning}. It is about decluttering so your death isn’t a burden for those left behind. It’s similar to the Marie Kondo approach or home organisation approaches like the hygge style (Danish ‘cosiness’) but there’s more to it. An important piece to Swedish death cleaning involves others. This is helpful as important people in your life are made aware of your plans and it is also a good time to share your wishes for after you pass.

It is not only about updating your will. It is about gathering the necessary login and password information, sharing banking details, and even organising signing rights on bank accounts to a trusted person. It also includes talking about who wants what after death. Clarity is kind and death cleaning helps avoid complications and conflict when a person dies. It also normalises conversations about death. Westerners often avoid conversations about death, even though it is a natural part of life. Doing death cleaning is a way of working with, and accepting this reality and cultivating a sense of detachment and compassion. It is a way of finding peace and comfort in the face of loss.

#Lifeisshort #DeathIsSure #LiveIt #LoveYourLife

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@ingridlotze & @gavinmoffat

#digitalnomads #nomadcouple #thetravellingnomads #worldnomads #nomadiclifestyle #gonenomading #nomadstories #nomadiclife #nomadwork #digitalnomadworld