On YouTube, my video Minimalism Tutorial 4: The Sweater With Sentimental Value has a reply by someone who was struggling to donate some very sentimental Irish wool sweaters. As I was writing my reply to her, I had a new idea on how to more easily let go of this type of thing.

Gretchen Rubin, author of Outer Order, Inner calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness, was recently interviewed on Good Morning America. It’s a short interview that barely scratches the surface of her new book (of which I’ve only started), but there is a very helpful self-interview question in the accompanying article. On wether or not to keep a piece of clothing Rubin says:

Sorting through curated memories nearly always conjures smiles and storytelling. It’s such a joy walk down memory lane with my clients. 

There are two problems though that are common:

1. Memorabilia is scattered.

2. Memorabilia has become utterly unruly.

A big thing my clients struggle with is inertia - for all sorts of reasons. What I love about my job is that we not only break it, but sometimes get results like this in 3 hours when it had been put off for YEARS!

So you’ve made some tough cuts and are finally willing to let go of what amounts to staggering tangle of old electronics. Woohoo! This is just part one though. 

It’s so easy to just load them into a contractors’ bag and drag them to the curb, especially since there’s something especially liberating about decluttering mystery cords and obsolete gadgets

What pleased me as much as the recent announcement of Netflix’s Tidying Up With Marie Kondo was seeing how well-received the show has been with professional organizers. They day after its premier, my NAPO listserv was abuzz with positive reviews.