When you sign up to my weekly newsletter, you get my free Time Management Purpose Pack and an email that asks you if you have any questions for me.
Mostly I just refer people to specific posts on the blog (as I seem to have covered most of them) but I liked this question I got recently so I thought I’d answer it here.
Kimberley said
I seem to not be able to get rid of things! I often feel emotionally attached to objects/ stuff may need them again!
I love questions that talk to the mindset about organising. I think I spent about half the workshop talking mindset because it is that important.
Remember my definition of clutter is things you don’t love or use (and I think I saw this on Laura’s blog, “that you don’t have the storage for”).
So if you know you should get rid of things and you feel emotionally attached, start asking yourself why you feel that way.
Sit with the question for a couple of days if you must because this is very important and you’re going to breeze through the rest of the organising process if you spend time upfront thinking about these things.
I also want to add that if you feel like rushing through thinking about this, that might be all the more reason for you to really think about your motives… 🙂
1. Maybe you have some hoarding tendencies because you didn’t have much money at some point in your life?
Ask yourself if you really, honestly couldn’t get x again if you needed it.
2. Maybe you’re hanging onto things because they’re from special people in your life?
Remind yourself that the thing does not define the special person. They don’t love you more because you hung onto the ugly vase 🙂
3. Maybe you’re hanging onto things because they remind you of special times?
I wrote about sentimental organising here. So… take a pic and let the item go.
Two questions for my readers:
Do you have hoarding tendencies?
How do you make it easier to let go?
Luckily, not too bad, except for books. It’s a sacrilege! LOL But I’m fighting this tendency by telling myself that the books I don’t like still deserve to find a good home where they will be loved, so I pass them on to friends or (most of the time) to charities!
I think I’m getting better on this one…I really have to! As an only child, and one of very few grandchildren on either side, I have so many family things. Seriously, if I kept everything that was passed down to me, I would have room for nothing myself!
I did get some really good advice when my mom passed away, though. My aunt told me, if there’s anything you think you might want, hang onto it. Don’t make any big decisions for at least a year. I’m so glad I took her direction. In the midst of grief, there are some things I thought I never wanted to see again…things that I am very glad now that I have. On the other hand, I sorted through most of her clothes, but there was a box of things that I just couldn’t part with. I just boxed them up, and I go through them every year or so. They are things I would never wear…but very dear reminders of her. And every year or so, I’m able to let go of a few more things.
On a related note (and sorry for the long comment!), a friend of mine’s stepfather passed away several years ago. He was helping his mother clean out his clothes. She was having trouble getting rid of things, and Chad picked out one pair of his old shoes. He told his mom, why don’t you leave these in your closet, next to your shoes…he felt like they symbolized so much about his stepfather. That was such a touching story to me…you don’t have to keep everything…and what you keep doesn’t have to have “meaning” to anyone but you. 🙂