Decrappify!
Lately, I want to throw almost everything away.
Not my work, my family, my friends, and definitely not you, Ted! But my stuff.
Years ago, a friend was getting rid of the things and people in her life that made her feel like crap and came up with the term, decrappify. I thought it was brilliant at the time and have been thinking about it ever since.
I'm doing some decrappifying of my own. Here are a few of the ways:
I'm giving away the clothes and shoes that I don't feel great wearing.
I'm donating the books I've been looking at for years that never make it to the top of the what I'll read next pile.
I'm bowing out of the volunteer commitment that you have to say yes to months in advance because who knows what I'll feel like doing on a random Saturday 6 months from now.
I'm going through old photos that I haven't looked at in a decade.
I'm throwing away the make-up and beauty products that never lived up to their promises.
I'm donating the just in case kitchen items that are never used.
I'm unsubscribing from all the emails that aren't essential, valuable, or joyful.
I'm discontinuing a business practice I used to love because I'm starting to resent it.
I'm shredding boxes of old taxes and financial paperwork. (Staples will do this for you).
I'm saying goodbye to that one corporate client where I'm no longer feeling a fit.
The Minimalists suggest using the spontaneous combustion rule - if the thing you're holding onto were to spontaneously combust, would you feel better? I can't think of a smarter approach.
The Swedish call it death cleaning. I call it decrappifyng. I feel better already.