‘Döstädning’(Death Cleaning)

‘Döstädning’ is the Swedish art of ‘Death Cleaning’…..

And it’s not as morbid as it sounds, according to the author Margareta Magnusson who has written a whole book about ‘The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning’.

She describes döstädning as ‘the process of freeing yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter’ (which sounds like a rather wonderful idea to me!)

The Swedes are a famously pragmatic bunch, but even we death-avoidant Brits are starting to get on board with the idea that ‘getting our affairs in order’ might be worth thinking about sooner rather than later.

Peter Thornton the UK’s former Chief Coroner has just written a very practical book called ‘The Simple Guide to Organising the rest of your Life’ which aims to de-mystify the paperwork involved, and encourage people not to wait until retirement to think about it.

But if you haven’t got the time or inclination to read either of those books, I’ve got a shortcut for you……!

When I meet bereaved families through my work, alongside the grief and shock of losing someone, they inevitably tell me how overwhelmed they feel by all the ‘death admin’ that they are suddenly faced with.

So, to try and help families minimise some of this burden, I’ve written some downloadable End of Life Planning resources – including how to create a ‘Death File’ with a list of all the important documents that you should have easily accessible.

(As well as reducing stress for your loved ones after your death, it’s actually a very useful thing to have while you’re alive, and for all my fellow control freaks, it’s a simple way to make yourself feel prepared for any eventuality!)

If you'd like a copy of these resources, as a starting point for creating your own 'Death file' just click here!

a messy pile of papers....ready to get organised!