Unwanted Gifts: How to Let Them Go
Do you find it hard to part with gifts, especially when received for one of these reasons?
• Anniversary
• Birth of a child
• Birthday
• Death of family member
• Graduation
• Holiday
• Illness
• Wedding
Do you hold onto the gift(s) for any of these reasons?
• You might use it in the future.
• It’s hard for you to part with any of your belongings.
• The gift-giver was your favorite family member or friend.
• Your memory of the deceased person will fade without the physical reminder.
• You’re afraid the gift-giver will notice the gift is not displayed in your home.
• You feel guilty because thought, time, and money was invested in the gift buying.
• The gift was expensive.
• It reminds you of a special achievement, event, or occasion (you or your family).
Is it okay to let gifts go? Yes! My thoughts and those of some clients about this topic:
• The received gift is yours now; you can use, re-gift, donate, or give it away.
• It doesn’t fit; it’s not your style or color.
• You don’t like, want, or need the item.
• It served its useful purpose.
• The used gift has been collecting dust for years.
• Someone else may enjoy and use it.
• You’re downsizing.
• You’ll remember the person without the physical object—trust your memory.
• It will free up physical space and help clear mental clutter.
I’d like to hear your thoughts about letting go of gifts, once they’ve served their useful purpose,..is it easy for you, or a challenge?
How Do You Spot Clues About Disorganization?
After my recent total hip replacement surgery, I occupied much of my healing time by reading novels such as Louise Penny's book Still Life (first in her series about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec).
In one chapter of this book, Inspector Gamache and his team enter a deceased victim's home in search of clues about her. Gamache says, "Homes, [he] knew were a self-portrait. Every touch revealed the individual. God, or the Devil, was in the details. And so was the human. Was it dirty, messy, obsessively clean? Were the decorations chosen to impress, or were they a hodgepodge of personal history? Was the space cluttered or clear?"
When potential clients call and request my professional organizing services, I ask them to allow me to conduct an initial assessment of their home in its current state. A tour of their home and their comments about it reveal clues about their lives and what areas need attention.
Often the reasons for disorganization arise from situations such as: addition of a child; family illness; work and college attendance at the same time; moving to a smaller home without downsizing first; furniture and other items added for various reasons; and too many items for the room size.
My observations and the potential client's comments about their space help me figure out workable organizing solutions and devise a maintenance plan.
If you find yourself in need of organizing assistance, for any reason, consider consulting a professional organizer.
Messy Sock Drawer
Five reasons it makes sense to organize your sock drawer:
1. Your sock drawer looks like this:
2. Socks removed from the dryer are thrown into a messy drawer...sock hunt required later.
3. Two socks are selected without turning the light on; crossed ankles in a seminar later that morning reveals one black and one blue sock.
4. Purchasing of a new pair of socks is easier than digging through the stuffed sock drawer to find mates.
5. Annoyance is experienced because of the reasons noted above.
Even though I fold and put away clean clothes right away...usually...sooner or later my socks end up jumbled. I decided to try out the drawer dividers pictured below before recommending them to clients.
Five reasons I like these drawer dividers:
1. It only took a few minutes to remove all socks from the drawer, sort and pair matching socks, discard singles, and insert the dividers.
2. Neatly arranged socks take up less space than a bunch of socks tossed in a drawer.
3. Specific type and color of socks are easy to select...at a glance; no mismatched sock surprise after arrival at work.
4. It is only necessary to buy new socks when a different color is needed, or socks wear out.
5. Satisfaction is derived from the one small change--organizing your sock drawer--no wasted time in mate matching.
Note: Purchase sock drawer dividers online, or at Bed Bath & Beyond and The Container Store, for example.
Small Steps...Lead to...Success!
What causes a stall in your life—then, what inspires you to move forward?
Kathie England, Professional Organizer and Coach, and owner of Time for Success, recently reviewed One Small Step Can Change Your Life, by Robert Maurer, at a National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Oregon Chapter meeting.
Her summation intrigued me.
I purchased and read this book, and now it’s my favorite book about changing behavior and achieving success…using six small simple steps.
The goal of the book is to “…change your life without fear, without failure.”
It takes a small amount of time to read and yields a practical way to overcome inaction.
