It's OK to Say Goodbye

Life evolves.  We change.  We grow.

Unfortunately, our possessions don't.  They stay the same, always there, only occasionally breaking or wearing out.  The only thing that often changes is that we accumulate more things as time goes by.  We really do believe that more is more, to the extent that we sometimes let possessions rule and overwhelm us.  We become swamped with stuff, can't jam another thing into our closets and cabinets, and can't find a single item we're looking for. 

Then, as often happens at the beginning of each year, we cry "Enough!" and realize that perhaps Mies van der Rohe was right about less being more.  And that's when  the task of cleaning out goes on our to-do list for the new year.  Overwhelmed, yet?

If so, well, the weekend is here, and I've posted some simple steps designed to help you reclaim your closets and your life.  Here goes:

First, decide what stays and what goes.  A good criteria to use for this is:  if you haven't used/worn it in a year, it needs to go.  If it isn't functional and/or you don't love it, get rid of it.  Really, it's OK to say goodbye. Unused things only clutter up your life. Let them have a better life elsewhere.

Have two boxes at the ready,  marked "throw away" and "give away" .  If you need to move things to elsewhere in the house, you should have a box for that as well. 

Some things have truly outlived their usefulness, to you or anyone else:  the shoes with the holes in the soles, the tennis racquet with broken strings, the shirt with permanent stains, the cracked and chipped dishes, you get the idea. These all are candidates for the "throw away" box. 

Into the "give away" box go items like the blue jeans that will never fit you again, the coffee mug you got as a gift and will never use, the set of sheets that aren't able to accommodate your new pillow-top mattress, etc.-- items that are still usable, just not for you.

Then, group your clothes into short or long.  In any closet if you have a lot of short items like shirts and jackets, you can add additional storage below -- like a small chest of drawers, shelving unit or shoe rack, to store additional items.  Shelf boxes can help organize closet shelves to their best advantage, for sweaters, bags, and shoes.

I found great web sites to help you get organized:  http://www.organize.com/  --  where you'll find a plethora of wonderful things for storage areas at great prices.  Or shop www.containerstore.com and particularly look at their Elfa Organizing System, which several of my clients have used and highly recommend.

With focus and intent you can do it in a weekend.  If you haven't figured it out yet, it's on my agenda this weekend too.  It's a new year of new ideas and new styles.  I will be saying goodbye to a lot of stuff, some of which I've really loved.  But even after all these years, I, too am still evolving, and that means that my possessions have to evolve with me. 

Here's to you being able to say goodbye, having a Happy New Year, and Happy Dzyning!