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Organize Your Closet And Your Life Will Follow
What does it mean to be more with less? I’m Ruma Tenbrink and welcome to the “Organize your closet and then your life will follow” podcast. If you feel like you are drowning in things and need to take back your life, you are in the right place. I am excited for you to “move towards minimalism” right along with me! Let’s do this together!
First, let’s talk a little bit about the Pareto Principle. It’s otherwise known as the 80/20 Rule and the law of the Vital Few, The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes - the “vital few”. So, if we translate this idea to our closets, really think about your wardrobe. You probably reach for 20% of your clothing 80% of the time. I know for a fact this was so true for me and that realization really hit me! It was the first time I went through all the fancy-wear and business clothing I was holding onto in deeper storage. Meaning, I never, ever, ever used them. I love being comfortable and wearing comfy clothes that feel good on my skin and make me feel good. So, I decided to be bold and just dropped them all off at a consignment shop in a funky little community here known as The Piedmont District in Oakland CA. I made it easy on myself and asked her to do her best and whatever didn’t sell well or fast enough for her, she could add to her donates pile which she took to a local women's shelter.
The magic of doing this was I went home to a lighter space that felt a lot less overwhelming and easier to organize. I also did good by providing clothes for someone else to love and use. It’s a win-win-win-win. The consumer creates a small carbon footprint by reusing something and getting a good deal on the item, the shop makes their money for holding and displaying the item, the local charity gets really nice clothes donated to them and I go home to the start of serenity and freedom in my closet.
Are you ready to change your life simply by organizing your closet? Could it really be that simple? Actually, yes it can. As a professional home organizer, I have seen the phenomenon take place with all of my clients. Every. Single. One. As you start to change your environment for the better, you inherently change along with it. You simply cannot help yourself. This opens a doorway into the world of positive change and along with that, infinite possibilities to uncover who you really are without all the physical stuff bogging down your home and your mind. Ultimately, your creativity hides deep within you because it is so muffled by the things taking up all of the open space and also things you choose to hide behind.
Let’s make this shift right now. By the way, did I mention this will be life-changing? Stay tuned and be ready for it!!!
Organize Your Closet And Your Life Will Follow
Episode 8 - Tid Bits Series Part 3
Please leave a 5-star review and email me at ruma@mylifeinflow.com if you would like to be entered into the "Giveaway Drawing" which will happen monthly as I choose a random 5-star reviewer. Type the words "Organize Your Closet" in the subject line! If you win, I will reach out to you for your best mailing address and send you a copy of "The Home Edit" by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin!!!
Moving towards a minimal life can actually be daunting for many people. Try incorporating "Tid Bits", much like Tiny Habits so that you can move towards minimalism at your own pace, but make sure you also challenge yourself when needed! Here are Five Tid Bits that you can practice right away:
- Step Back - Use the "Wheel of Life" as a tool to gauge where you are in your life and how you rate yourself in each of the following categories: Career, Money, Health, Friends and Family, Significant Other/Romance, Personal Growth and Learning, Fun, leisure and recreation and Physical Environment (your home/office). I love this example of the "Wheel" which asks great questions to help you rate yourself effectively. You may need to highlight the entire link and then click on "go to https:......." : https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54bda4bee4b0a3e130efc4ca/t/5d16e12c3f4bcb0001647b55/1561780526296/Personal-Assessment-Wheel.pdf
- Show Emotions - Allow your feelings to come to the surface. Be self-aware and with great self-love allow the emotions to surface. If you feel sad, cry, it's actually good for you!
- Simple Systems - As a homeowner, you really shouldn't need more than 15 - 25 file folders with the most important categories. Please note that on my visit to clients' homes, we usually get rid of 80-85% of all the paper clutter they have been holding on to! Here are some of my favorites that most everyone might need. Set up straight line filing in alphabetical order for simplicity and ease:
- Bank statements
- Cable bill
- Car insurance
- Car payments
- Cell phone bill
- Credit card statements
- Dental records
- Electric bill
- Employment records
- Health insurance
- Heating (gas/oil) bill
- Home insurance
- Internet bill
- Life insurance
- Loans (student loans, personal loans, etc.)
- Medical records
- Mortgage payments
- Rental payments
- Retirement accounts (401Ks, IRAs, Roth IRAs, SIMPLE, etc.)
- Separation records from past employers
- Specialized medical records
- Telephone (landline) bill
- Vision records
- Water bill
- Yearly taxes (one folder for each tax year – you may want to create separate folders for federal and state taxes)
- Proving What? - All I can say for this is "Be true to YOU," you are the superstar in your own life - only you can live your life. Who honestly cares what other people think or what other peoples expectations are of you? When you are living your life for someone else you cannot be living your best life for YOU!
- Media Down and Out - This is something that we should all do regularly. Find a day to do a digital detox. Start with 1/2 day without your phone and then graduate to a full day then the whole weekend, or whichever days work for you! Not having the "crutch" of your phone and constantly crooking your neck to look at it will make you feel better overall in body, mind and spirit! It allows you freedom to think for yourself and be creative again. Scrolling incessantly can be truly numbing, if you know what I mean. After hours of scrolling one may feel a sense of loss since many hours becom
Consume less, live more!
https://linktr.ee/rumatenbrink
Please leave a 5-star review and email me at ruma@mylifeinflow.com if you would like to be entered into the "Giveaway Drawing" which will happen monthly as I choose a random 5-star reviewer. Type the words "Organize Your Closet" in the subject line! If you win, I will reach out to you for your best mailing address and send you a copy of "The Home Edit" by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin!!!
Moving towards a minimal life can actually be daunting for many people. Try incorporating "Tid Bits", much like Tiny Habits so that you can move towards minimalism at your own pace, but make sure you also challenge yourself when needed! Here are Five Tid Bits that you can practice right away:
- Step Back - Use the "Wheel of Life" as a tool to gauge where you are in your life and how you rate yourself in each of the following categories: Career, Money, Health, Friends and Family, Significant Other/Romance, Personal Growth and Learning, Fun, leisure and recreation and Physical Environment (your home/office). I love this example of the "Wheel" which asks great questions to help you rate yourself effectively. You may need to highlight the entire link and then click on "go to https:......." : https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54bda4bee4b0a3e130efc4ca/t/5d16e12c3f4bcb0001647b55/1561780526296/Personal-Assessment-Wheel.pdf
- Show Emotions - Allow your feelings to come to the surface. Be self-aware and with great self-love allow the emotions to surface. If you feel sad, cry, it's actually good for you!
- Simple Systems - As a homeowner, you really shouldn't need more than 15 - 25 file folders with the most important categories. Please note that on my visit to clients' homes, we usually get rid of 80-85% of all the paper clutter they have been holding on to! Here are some of my favorites that most everyone might need. Set up straight line filing in alphabetical order for simplicity and ease:
- Bank statements
- Cable bill
- Car insurance
- Car payments
- Cell phone bill
- Credit card statements
- Dental records
- Electric bill
- Employment records
- Health insurance
- Heating (gas/oil) bill
- Home insurance
- Internet bill
- Life insurance
- Loans (student loans, personal loans, etc.)
- Medical records
- Mortgage payments
- Rental payments
- Retirement accounts (401Ks, IRAs, Roth IRAs, SIMPLE, etc.)
- Separation records from past employers
- Specialized medical records
- Telephone (landline) bill
- Vision records
- Water bill
- Yearly taxes (one folder for each tax year – you may want to create separate folders for federal and state taxes)
- Proving What? - All I can say for this is "Be true to YOU," you are the superstar in your own life - only you can live your life. Who honestly cares what other people think or what other peoples expectations are of you? When you are living your life for someone else you cannot be living your best life for YOU!
- Media Down and Out - This is something that we should all do regularly. Find a day to do a digital detox. Start with 1/2 day without your phone and then graduate to a full day then the whole weekend, or whichever days work for you! Not having the "crutch" of your phone and constantly crooking your neck to look at it will make you feel better overall in body, mind and spirit! It allows you freedom to think for yourself and be creative again. Scrolling incessantly can be truly numbing, if you know what I mean. After hours of scrolling one may feel a sense of loss since many hours become wasted in "watching" rather than "doing." Don't get me wrong since I do believe "vegging out" can be good for you as well. Just finding balance in all of it is truly the key to life!
Adapted from "52 Ways to Simplify Your Life", by Lynn Gordon
Consume less, live more!
