Keep vs Donate

I absolutely love working with kids! They ask great questions, give unusual answers for why they donate vs keep & just make the most enlightening statements.  This week I had the pleasure to work with an elementary aged child.  I spent the morning working with her mother prepping the guest closet & bath for the holiday guests.  Mom did an amazing job editing the keepsake baby clothes.  It’s an incredibly difficult task because of all the memories attached to each garment.

In the afternoon, we switched to the toy closet.  Anyone who has spent anytime with children knows how difficult it can be for them to part with their toys.  They are really just smaller versions of adults in this regard.  The first item we came to was a Gone With The Wind puzzle.  We decided to keep it.  The next item was borderline; keep…donate….keep…donate……finally she exclaimed, “It’s Gone With The Wind!”.

She had just found her battle cry, motivation, impetus, vision for editing her prized possessions.  Was she thinking about Santa who is only 6 weeks away?  Was she thinking about the babysitter’s toddler who could enjoy the toy?  Was she thinking about how she was too big for that toy?  Or did she just find the toy tired?  These questions are different yet the same for us all when editing.

In her child wisdom, she demonstrated how to make editing fun & simplistic by finding her battle cry.  It’s hard to let go of things.  Those things all have memories attached to them, weighing them down like oversized carry-on luggage.  We have to determine the most important items to carry on in our lives & those that need to check into donation to allow others to carry them.  Having your battle cry is the key to keeping the process simple & fun.

What is your battle cry for your bulging wardrobe, overflowing garage, stuffed pantry or  mountainous paper piles?  Determine your reason for simplifying the space i.e. simplifying mornings, parking car in garage, eliminating waste or alleviating stress. That reason can be your battle cry.  Say it boldly with each item you edit.  You’ll gain strength & clarity with each decision.  And your stress from your excessive baggage will be Gone With The Wind.

There are other tricks that can help decide between keeps vs donate.  More tips & ideas to come through this week’s posts on the Styled & Organized Living Facebook page, @StyledOrganized on Twitter & the Styled & Organized Living Pinterest page.  These Daily Tips will show you how to gain more control over your life through organization because Life is Better Stylishly Organized!