When it comes to doing hard things, it’s helpful to have strategies that encourage you when you’re stuck. What happens when you don’t have tools to rely on? You can become overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, paralyzed, or give up altogether. Letting go can be challenging. However, with this one easy strategy, you can become an expert at releasing those things that no longer belong. Let me share some context before I explain the strategy.

I notice things that don't belong when walking around or traveling. They catch my eye. For example, I walked along the river the other day and saw a single blue glove on the ground. Maybe it dropped out of a coat pocket. It was out of place by itself on the ground. Another time, I visited a lovely garden. An empty plastic soda bottle protruded from this beautiful ancient stone lion’s mouth. You guessed it! The bottle was in the wrong place and should have been in the recycling bin instead.

Did you see the photo of neatly stacked sweaters? Can you tell they are in the microwave? These examples cue you to notice when things are out of place, which is the first part of the letting go strategy I will share with you.

Easy Letting Go Strategy

One of the simplest ways to let go is to notice the things that don’t belong. You can do this in any room, space, container, or area. When you identify what is in the wrong place, you can change the dynamic by letting go. There are three steps:

1. Awareness – Notice what is out of place. It could be:

• Something that accidentally was put in the wrong spot by you or someone in your household

• Something that was placed without thinking about if it belonged there

• Something that ‘temporarily’ was put in the wrong spot as a holding area and then remained there indefinitely

• Something that was randomly put into a cabinet, on a shelf, or in a closet to give the illusion of being clutter-free

2. Ask– Now that you see ‘it,’ you can’t unsee it. That’s a good thing. It’s decision-making time. These questions will help you figure out what to do next. Ask:

• Does this thing belong elsewhere?

• Does it belong elsewhere, but I don’t know where it should ‘live?’

• Do I want this anymore?

• Can I let it go?

“One of the simplest ways to let go is to notice the things that don’t belong.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

 3. Act – You asked the questions, and now it’s time to take action.

• If it belongs elsewhere, route it to its home.

• If it belongs elsewhere, but you are still determining where it should go, remove it from its current spot and choose the best location to store it.

• If you no longer want it and are ready to let it go, donate, giveaway, sell, recycle, or trash it.

I hope you don’t have sweaters in your microwave or plastic bottles stored in a sculpture, but you most likely have things sitting in unhelpful spots. Quickly become a pro at letting go by noticing what’s out of place, deciding about it, and removing it from the current location.

What eases your letting go process? How can this letting go strategy work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

If you need help letting go, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.

Let’s face it. Making a change involves taking risks. No matter the size of the risk, you’ll need the courage to dive into unknown waters. Your risk tolerance level will influence how easy or challenging it will be to pursue change. If you are comfortable taking risks, you will more likely welcome change and take necessary actions without too much deliberation. If you are risk-averse, change is still possible, but the journey will be more difficult.

Risk Tolerance Scale

Your response will vary depending on the scenario and type of risk. Consider your risk tolerance level concerning change using a scale from 1 to 10.

1   =   Risk-Averse:  Reluctant to take risks

10 =   Risk-Taker:  Eager to take risks

Imagine the change you want is to have less clutter in your home. Part of that process will include editing and releasing things. Using the Risk Tolerance Scale, you recognize how easily you can let go of junk mail and old newspapers. You give yourself a 10 because you can recycle them without much thought. However, when it comes to mementos, you struggle to make decisions because of your emotional attachments. You feel a sense of loss when letting go of things from the past, and give yourself a 2.

Preparing for Change

There are a few ways to facilitate change. Using the example above, refer to the Risk Tolerance Scale to identify the areas that feel less risky to work on, like junk mail and newspapers. As you build confidence and progress in those areas, you’re preparing to tackle the more challenging things next.

Another idea, which is especially helpful in risk-averse scenarios, is to ask the question,

What risk are you happy you took?

Revisiting risks you handled in the past that had successful outcomes will help build confidence in taking new risks and making changes. Invest time in remembering.

“Making a change involves taking risks.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Taking Risks in Pursuit of Change

There’s no question that when we pursue change, letting go occurs. This can include physical stuff, places, people, or ideas. During a recent virtual organizing session, my client shared something while gently releasing a category of papers from the past. It spoke to one of the benefits of embracing risk in pursuit of change and was so moving. She said,

“I’m letting go of part of my life that is no longer part of my life.”

What an insightful recognition that in moving forward and embracing change, you can let go of those things that no longer have a place in your present.

How does your risk tolerance level influence the changes you seek? In what ways have you noticed a connection? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Life is complicated. There are many dynamics, decisions, phases and stages. There is constant change that we navigate to the best of our ability. Clutter is complex too. We become emotionally attached to our things. Our stuff seems to collect as we sleep. Where did those piles come from? How did my closet get so crammed that it’s stressful getting dressed every morning? I have to keep my stuff because if I let go, I’ll lose a part of me.

I’d like to share two powerful and possibly simple clutter concepts with you. Are you ready?

While there are many solutions for “dealing with” clutter, and I’ve written lots of posts sharing those ideas, it all comes down to two basic concepts: Release and Manage.

Powerful Clutter Concept One: Release

To reduce the volume of clutter, to make it easier to manage our stuff, we need to release or what I like to call, “edit.” Yes, we’re talking about letting go of the unessential so that we can make room for what’s most important and significant. You get to decide which clutter is taking up physical and mental space in your world and then release it.

Powerful Clutter Concept Two: Manage

To organize the essentials that remain, we need to create specific “homes” for our stuff to live so that we can manage how it works with us. The homes might be containers, closets, surfaces, or compartments. Yet it’s not just the creating of the homes, it’s also taking the time to return things to their homes.

You've heard this before: Less is more. Less is easier to maintain.

Decide what your less looks and feels like. What is your optimal less? Experiment with reducing the volume of clutter. Experiment with managing what remains. If you’re struggling with decision-making or organizing, enlist the help of a trusted friend, family member, or professional. The right kind of support can make all the difference.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation. What’s been your experience with releasing and managing clutter?

I’m laughing because of the irony of what I’m about to write. For many months, I’ve been saving a big piece of paper from one of my clients with one tiny sentence printed on it. I knew that the sentence would provide inspiration for a blog post at some point. And guess what? Today’s the day!

My client told me this story and gave me permission to share it with others. He said that one of his family members for years saved in her closet a box that was carefully labeled . . .

“Pieces of string that are too small to save.”

Since releasing and letting go is an integral part of the organizing work we do together, my client knew I’d appreciate the humor in this. And I did. We enjoyed a good laugh.

The other aspect is that sometimes, no matter how much we realize that we just don’t need it, we have a challenging time letting go. Have you ever experienced that? In other instances, we don’t take the time to ask the questions, or the extraneous becomes invisible. But in the case of this box of string, the thought process was there and a conclusion was made that it wasn’t useful. However, the string was still kept. Interesting, isn’t it?

As we are at the beginning of the new year, which is a time of opportunity, newness, and fresh starts, I encourage you to take a look at your “pieces of string that are too small to save.” It's time to make the invisible, visible and ask some questions.

• What are you holding onto that no longer serves a purpose?

• What becomes possible when you let go?

Come join the conversation. I invite you to share your thoughts.