Clearing Clutter

A client of mine cleared out his emails, every last one, and spent the rest of the day buoyant. Amazed. He hadn’t realized how much they weighed him down.

We save things because at the moment, they matter to us. Our memories are what we’re trying to hold onto, says professional organizer Karen Kingston —with clutter as an unfortunate side effect.

Practice: As you go through the coming week, identify things you might be ready to let go of — anything that no longer fits the person you have become. Look at it. Pick it up, put it down. If you feel ready, ask yourself in a disinterested, kindly fashion whether holding onto it still suits you.