Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Update your life by downsizing the obsolete

Update your life by downsizing the obsolete
April 9, 2013

For better or for worse, we change during the course of a lifetime. Sometimes we drag the remnants of our old selves into the new phases of our lives.

As much as I love my deceased grandmother, I do not need to drag her hand-embroidered pillows from one country to another and from one dwelling to the next. I will still be loyal to her even though the pillows have moved to another owner.

Clearing out the obsolete creates room for the new.

Make your life more enjoyable by clearing out the stuff you haven’t used for a while (or at all!). Be mindful of the cost of keeping things – it costs time, space, energy and sometimes money to take care of things you don’t use. Send dormant possessions back out into the world for use. Enjoy your updated surroundings!

The visible clutter is more current, and organizing/cleaning/putting away will provide you with immediate, dramatic results. Keep on top of things. Develop neat habits.  An organized room takes no more than three to five minutes to clean up, no matter how messy it gets. The important thing is to identify what is important to you and create easy access to it.

When assessing whether your space is organized or not, don’t ask how it looks. Ask yourself how it functions. Does it work for your current lifestyle?

I am always so proud when I can put my hands on what I need within 10 seconds. It wasn't always like that. I just had to find a system that works for me. Second-guessing where I put my tax papers is frustrating and time consuming. And sometimes embarrassing!

When we are organized, our homes, offices, and schedules mirror and support who we are, what we want and where we are going.


Purge Toxic Possessions

Dwelling on regrets and negative memories fuels depression, which is why clearing out the tangible reminders can give you a lift, says Peter Walsh, the organizer on TLC's Clean Sweep and author of Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More. For example, if a certain dress played a critical part in a former relationship, get rid of it, no matter how beautiful it may be; each time you look at it, you're emotionally drawn back to that time. Likewise the year's worth of old New Yorker magazines you'll never have time to read, the photo of a friend who incessantly puts you down—toss! (From oprah.com)

No comments:

Post a Comment