I was sitting in the teachers' lounge yesterday for lunch and the conversation turned to someone talking about her cluttered house. Her goal is to go through some of the items this summer. After I invited her to visit my blog, she uttered a phrase that tends to be the biggest hurdle for all:
"I'm just not ready to get rid of some of it."
Nostalgia...a hurdle in our quest to declutter. We all feel attached to certain items. What do we do? I've said it before, but it's a good reminder:
Box up the near and dear items and put them somewhere for a period of time. Your mind will rest knowing you still have them, but they aren't underfoot. A year or two down the road, your feelings may subside and it will be easier to unload without guilt. In the meantime, you have still decluttered (especially if there are lots of small toys or trinkets.)
the great thing about this blog is that you need only get rid of one thing per day. couldn't your friend be ready to get rid of just one thing today? I hope so. i cleaned off my counter with the help of a friend last week. She encouraged me to try to keep it neat for a week (or better, a month). I have noticed that I am not the one who puts the mess on there! That is a new revelation! I get accused of making the mess so much, but here on the clean counter I get to see that it is the dad or kids who put the mess there...hmmm.
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