You Have My Permission to Let Go of Clutter

During an organizing session, the busy clinician I was meeting with showed me the foot-high stack of unread medical journals.

“I thought I would read them, but they’ve been there for about two or three months,” she said.

“When you are looking for an article, where do you look first?” I asked.

“PubMed.” This is code for our campus library’s online journal search program.

“You can recycle them,” I replied. “Let them go.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief, and her shoulders relaxed. The doctor smiled since I gave her “permission” to do something she wanted to do but was nervous about.

We organizers wind up granting permission to many of our clients. Now I know what you’re thinking. We don’t need no stinkin’ permission. Why do Official Grown-Ups (OGU) need permission to do anything? Isn’t that the right of being an OGU?

One of the drawbacks of being an OGU is that our heads are filled with rules, thoughts about that permanent record our teachers always warned us about, and worry about what “they” say. No one can identify who “they” are, but they do say lots of things that we seem to listen to.

No matter how much of OGU we are, sometimes it helps to have permission to do what you want to do. Essentially, we need to cut ourselves a break. In honor of that …

You have my permission to let go of clutter

1. Dump that stack of unread magazines and newspapers into the recycling can.
2. Toss unattractive photos of yourself.
3. Donate or sell books you know you won’t read again.
4. Donate the shoes that hurt your feet.
5. Cancel subscriptions and memberships that no longer serve you.
6. Go paperless for your monthly bills.
7. Leave your clothes in the dryer or laundry basket for a day or two. We won’t tell (so let go of stress!).
8. Recycle the product registration cards you have no intention of filling out and mailing.
9. Toss receipts you don’t need for your taxes or proof of large ticket purchases.
10. Ditch old files of credit card statements, utility bills and bank statements.
11. Shred papers with account numbers and confidential information. Don’t shred every single piece of paper with your name and address on it. If you own your home, your name and address are public record.
12. Delete emails, documents and other digital files you no longer need.
13. That thing you spent a great deal of money on but never use — get rid of it.

There you are. You have my permission to get rid of those things you really want to get rid of and still keep your Official Grown-Up street cred.

The post You Have My Permission to Let Go of Clutter appeared first on Organize to Revitalize!.