5 Things to Purge in 2018

This is my last blog post of 2017, and throughout the year I often listen and reflect upon the comments, questions and feedback I get from you, our clients, listeners and readers. Although everyone struggles with different areas of clutter or disorganization, the one thing that all of us have in common is the desire to live simply, yet it’s often difficult to articulate what that really means.

I was recently interviewed by Alicia Vitarelli from 6ABC on my top 5 list of things to purge as we enter 2018.  The more we can reduce physical and emotional clutter from our lives, the lighter we feel. A couple of my answers may seem cliché, but a few may surprise you. 

   1. Toxic People: You know who they are. The people who put you down, people who are too needy, people who don’t value your time. Life is too short to not spend it with people who value you, and who bring value into your life.

   2. Unnecessary Paper: 80% of the paper we keep we will never look at again-that’s a LOT of waste! In my book, HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized I have a whole cheat sheet of what to purge and what to keep. FEAR often holds us back, but once you have permission to let things go, it makes it easier.

   3. Excess Social Media: In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to avoid social media, nor am I suggesting you should. However, if you can be mindful of limiting screen time, you will be amazed at how much extra time you will have in a day to do things that really matter to you.

   4. Clothes from the 20th Century: We’re all guilty of holding onto things for the wrong reasons. Whether it’s the guilt of donating something that cost a fortune, or the “what if” factor that it may come back into style, these items can handcuff us emotionally. My general rule of thumb is that unless it’s a keepsake, the stuff that you’re not wearing needs to go.

   5. Guilt. Nothing weighs us down more than regret. Things we should have done, or things we wish we didn’t say.  Good News! Each day we are given a do-over.  If you feel compelled to apologize to someone you wronged, say you’re sorry; the worst thing you can do is live in the past with remorse.

People are always asking me my thoughts about New Year’s Resolutions. As I shared in episode 054 of This ORGANIZED Life Podcast, if you want to resolve to make a change in your life, GREAT!, but, there’s no need to put pressure on yourself simply because the calendar says January 1st.

That being said, in 2018 I will be sharing 365 days of gratitude on instagram. It’s something that I personally want to do, so I will be sharing something each day through my personal page @organizingmaster,  feel free to follow along!