“We bring things into our world to enrich our quality of life, until one day we realize that the multitude of possessions is actually detracting from our life,” says Mindy Godding, a professional organizer in Richmond, Va.
If you subscribe to the philosophy of Marie Kondo, the Japanese tidying guru, decluttering can also bring life changes and joy. People who have followed the KonMari Method say they have not only dramatically reorganized their homes but also quit jobs, launched businesses, increased their sales at work, avoided a divorce (or obtained one) and even shed excess weight (see kiplinger.com/links/ kondo). Still, no single organizing strategy will work for everyone.
Decluttering requires a lot of decision-making. For each item, you must decide: Should I keep it or not? If I keep it, where should it go? If I don’t keep it, will I hand it down, or should I sell, donate, recycle or trash it? The box on the facing page has tips from three pros on how to stay on track and avoid getting overwhelmed.
This story is from the June 2020 edition of Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
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This story is from the June 2020 edition of Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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