I had an epiphany - one of those aha! moments where everything just makes SO much sense. I would love to say it was something deep, like the meaning of life or whether that eye cream really works. While it's not as epic as those, this is a game changer in one of my favorite topics of all time -- organizing.
Ready for it? This is the one tip that will take organizing from dreadful to fun-full!
When clearing the clutter -- don’t try to figure out what to get rid of. Pick out things you WANT to keep. Does it sound the same? Well let me tell you…the subtle difference makes all the difference.
-- Choose to keep vs. Get rid of something --
Ready for it? This is the one tip that will take organizing from dreadful to fun-full!
When clearing the clutter -- don’t try to figure out what to get rid of. Pick out things you WANT to keep. Does it sound the same? Well let me tell you…the subtle difference makes all the difference.
-- Choose to keep vs. Get rid of something --
This is real power to the people y’all!
Here’s one way to think about it -- you know all the pictures on your phone? Yes the 1000s you snapped and now your storage is full and your phone can’t even back up because there isn’t enough space.
Well, when you try to go through and delete the pictures you don’t want, the value gets really high of every single photo. What if I delete this photo? I might want/need/love it at some arbitrary point in time! And you find yourself deleting 3 pictures out of 700.
But if you look at your photos and only select the ones you love - the exercise becomes so much easier. Now you are left with a smaller batch of your bestest pics.
Same thing in your closet. Trying to let go of an article of clothing can be so stressful because our mind has a hard time letting things go. You think..."I spent $ on this", "someone gave it as a gift", "maybe I’ll fit into it one day", whatever it is...your mind can get lost in analysis paralysis because you feel like you are losing something. And your brain does NOT like that. It goes against our core survival instincts.
However, there is something incredibly empowering about choosing what you want to keep. Perspective can make all the difference in every aspect of your life (organizing and beyond). In this case, it’s not about how you see the water in the glass. This is about how filling the glass halfway is much easier than emptying out half of it.
It’s so refreshing to start with a clean slate and then add in your most important and loved things. The possibilities are endless of where you can apply this and you will appreciate getting your sanity back.
So try this - next time you have to organize your closet, phone or even your schedule, dump everything out first. Then pick out what you really want and put it back in. This has worked for me each and every time and I have never thought about the not chosen items again. I never loved them anyways.
To a Life Beyond Measure,
Shazia Imam
The Life Engineer
p.s. Do you know one or two people who should be receiving these tips for a lovelier life? Let them know and encourage them to subscribe by forwarding them this link: The Life Engineer TIP (Totally Important Person) List.
Here’s one way to think about it -- you know all the pictures on your phone? Yes the 1000s you snapped and now your storage is full and your phone can’t even back up because there isn’t enough space.
Well, when you try to go through and delete the pictures you don’t want, the value gets really high of every single photo. What if I delete this photo? I might want/need/love it at some arbitrary point in time! And you find yourself deleting 3 pictures out of 700.
But if you look at your photos and only select the ones you love - the exercise becomes so much easier. Now you are left with a smaller batch of your bestest pics.
Same thing in your closet. Trying to let go of an article of clothing can be so stressful because our mind has a hard time letting things go. You think..."I spent $ on this", "someone gave it as a gift", "maybe I’ll fit into it one day", whatever it is...your mind can get lost in analysis paralysis because you feel like you are losing something. And your brain does NOT like that. It goes against our core survival instincts.
However, there is something incredibly empowering about choosing what you want to keep. Perspective can make all the difference in every aspect of your life (organizing and beyond). In this case, it’s not about how you see the water in the glass. This is about how filling the glass halfway is much easier than emptying out half of it.
It’s so refreshing to start with a clean slate and then add in your most important and loved things. The possibilities are endless of where you can apply this and you will appreciate getting your sanity back.
So try this - next time you have to organize your closet, phone or even your schedule, dump everything out first. Then pick out what you really want and put it back in. This has worked for me each and every time and I have never thought about the not chosen items again. I never loved them anyways.
To a Life Beyond Measure,
Shazia Imam
The Life Engineer
p.s. Do you know one or two people who should be receiving these tips for a lovelier life? Let them know and encourage them to subscribe by forwarding them this link: The Life Engineer TIP (Totally Important Person) List.