Decluttering with Gratitude

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow and I’m sure the last thing you are thinking about is organizing a closet or office but the very act of gratitude can make the difference in being able to let go of clutter or keeping it forever “just in case.”

Having just checked Amazon as I’m writing this, the #2 book for 2015 is, you guessed it, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and of course I snatched it up months ago when it came out. It’s amazing to me how organizing continues to be such a hot topic. The “organization” issues of magazines like O and Martha Stewart are consistently the top sellers–their version of the swimsuit issue 🙂 ! I know I’m interested but so is the rest of the world which is comforting.

So what does Marie Kondo have to say about clearing clutter / getting organized that’s different than anyone else? Two things:

1. Awesome folding technique. This seriously changed how I folded and organized t-shirts, workout gear, shorts, sweaters, and just about anything stored in a drawer for clients. Instead of having stacks of clothes in a drawer, I fold to fit the drawer and stack the clothes on the short side. Now instead of pulling from the middle of the stack and having it topple over, you can pull from wherever because they are all laid out in front of you.
2. Thank your clothes. No, really, thank them. Thank them for their service to you. Thank them for the lessons they taught you such as to never buy on sale something you’d never pay full price for or that puce really isn’t your color. 

By thanking your clothes for their service to you, you now have permission to send them out in the world to help someone else. The act of giving yourself permission to get rid of them enables you to more freely let them go. So many people get caught up in the vicious cycle of “I paid so much money for this” / “I’m embarrassed that I never wore/used it”/ “I bought it but it doesn’t really fit or look good on me but I feel bad” / “I’m going to lose those 5 pounds eventually so I can wear it”/ “These really hurt my feet but they’re pretty…” that it paralyzes them to move forward. The clothes and shoes go back in the closet for another period of uselessness and crowding your limited space.

Marie Kondo suggests that you take each piece of clothing out that you’re questioning and hold it intentionally. Then acknowledge it,  thank it for its service to you, the lessons it taught you, and then let it go. It’s amazing how a little gratitude frees you from having to hang on to something that has just been a reminder of a bad purchasing decision, change in lifestyle, or just a taste shift.

Once you get rid of the stuff you truly don’t use, you make room for new and better whether it’s clothes, experiences, or opportunities.

If everything is a treasure, nothing is a treasure

Happy organizing!

For more information on how you can make your life easier by getting organized, please visit my website, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest boards. I’d love to hear any organizing questions or comments you have below!