As seen in the Dayton Daily News on March 14, 2014.
When touring my clients’ homes for the first time, I notice many of them own stacks and stacks of organizing books, yet they still struggle with getting organized.
Some of these books teach you how to rearrange your things and suggest organizing products to cleverly hold these items.
Is that how you want to spend your time? Rearranging your things and shopping for containers?
If your answer is no, then it’s simple; keep less stuff.
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what your life would be like if you had half the stuff in your house to take care of.
Did you start feeling lighter and less overwhelmed? Can you see that you’d have more time for yourself? If yes, then it’s time to turn this imaginary life into reality.
In order to have half the stuff in your home to take care of, it makes sense that you have to get rid of 50 percent of the items in it.
Here are some areas to start with.
Closets: Get rid of half of the clothes, shoes and accessories you hardly wear. Give half of the bedding you store to others who need it. Safely dispose of half the medications you no longer need.
Kitchen: Donate half of all the gadgets and cookbooks in your kitchen you rarely use.
Bathroom: Dispose of half of the make-up and beauty products you have tried and didn’t like.
Home office: Say goodbye to half of the recipes and craft ideas you cut from magazines but haven’t made. Purge half of the school papers you’ve been saving. You won’t miss half the free pens you’ve been given.
Books: Let go of 50 percent of the books you have read and 50 percent of the books you thought you would read.
Basement: Let go of half of the memorabilia you have boxed up and stashed in piles. You’re not honoring the person who gave it to you or enjoying trips down memory lane if these items are not on display.
Sometimes just letting go of half doesn’t seem so daunting, so you’ll keep purging.
When that’s complete, one of two things will happen:
You’ll start to enjoy the half you saved more than ever.
You’ll go back through and half each category again because your life is getting better.
Either way you win with less.