As seen in the Dayton Daily News on June 6, 2014
A friend texted me a picture of some notepads and loose paper in a recycle bin. (Given my profession as an organizer, I often receive pictures of items in a trash bin from people who are getting organized, so this was not unusual.)
Her text read, “You would be proud of me. I pitched all the papers I saved from nursing school. I hesitated for awhile before letting them go, even though I have never looked at them since leaving school many years ago.”
My response was, “I am proud of you. Letting go of items that were important to you can be very freeing, even though it can be difficult at the same time.”
She answered, “I’m happy they are gone, but I am feeling a bit weird right now.”
It is common to feel anxious and continue to think about items you have discarded. I decided to give her a bit of a pep talk to help her see she made the right decision.
My response was, “Focus on what you are gaining by letting go of those school papers, instead of what you feel you have lost.”
Many times when people are parting with stuff, they attach emotion to it. All they think about are reasons to keep it, so they re-box it and put it back in storage.
If you find yourself doing this, try changing the way you think about your stuff. Instead of finding reasons why you should keep it, think of reasons why you should get rid of it.
One of the biggest reasons to let go of unused items is because they waste your time.
It takes time to revisit old items. If my friend did not let go of her school papers this time, she would have to revisit them again in the future, thus taking up more of her time. Plus, she would experience the emotional part every time.
It takes time to search through your belongings to find what you need. The fewer items you own, the less time you waste looking for the things you need to do today’s tasks.
With less stuff, you’ll be able to clean your home quicker. Who wants to spend more time doing housework than they have to?
If you decide to move, you will save time packing and unpacking your belongings. Plus, you’ll rely less on other people to help you move or save money with the moving company.
Should you become ill and end up in the hospital or nursing home, your family will be able to spend more time with you instead of dealing with the stuff you never pared down.
If you focus on what you’ll gain and how your items are holding you back, you won’t be able to get rid of them fast enough.
My friend let go of her school papers and she’ll be better off without them. What can you let go of in order to save you time in the future?
Of course, you know who to send your proud pictures of trash to: [email protected]. I may be the only person who won’t think that’s strange.