11 Things a Happy Person Doesn’t Keep Around the House
Our lives are full: of activities, of stuff, of stress. Some people are trying to change their lives with cleaning up magic, while others are happily buried under a pile of memories. Whichever your preference – clear or cluttered – there are several things that truly happy people never leave laying around.
Stuff that Gets in Your Way
This is the easiest category to tackle. These objects are nothing more than time- and space-consuming clutter that take your focus away from what’s really important.
1. Broken items that haven’t been fixed in more than a year. If you haven’t needed it to work in 12 months, you don’t need it. Donate it!
2. Spam emails. Sign up for a program like unroll.me and spend less time hitting delete.
Stuff that Screams “The Old You”
Memories are great, but often we keep things that aren’t even tied to happy memories out of a sense of obligation. Clearing these things out gives you the mental energy you need to move forward instead of backward.
3. Tools from a hobby you no longer practice. Donate the old musical instruments, hand weights, or complicated kitchen gadgets. It’s okay to say “that wasn’t a great fit for me” and move on.
4. Old love letters. Keep the letters from your true love, of course. But toss the reminders of that college breakout that went back-and-forth for six months. The memories aren’t good, and do you really want your grandchildren finding them, someday?
5. Clothes that no longer fit. It doesn’t matter whether they’re too big or too small – keeping old clothing can be a self-sabotaging way of communicating that you’re not comfortable in your own skin.
6. Friendships that no longer fit. This is a tough one, but sometimes friendships serve a purpose and then don’t “work” anymore. You can value someone deeply without keeping them in your day-to-day life.
Stuff that Silently Judges
These possessions can serve as an unkind reminder of our perceived shortcomings and the things we dislike most about ourselves.
7. Bills. Enough said.
8. Exercise equipment you don’t use. It sits there mocking you, doesn’t it? That’s why you throw your dirty clothes over it, so you don’t have to see it. Sell that sucker on Craigslist and use the money to buy a laundry hamper.
9. Books you bought more than three years ago but never read. If you haven’t yet, are you really going to read it next year? Donate it and pick up a book you’ll really love. Life’s too short.
10. Unfinished projects. Just as with the books, sometimes we start a project thinking it will be fulfilling, but it isn’t. Say goodbye to the glue gun.
11. Rejection notices. If you were turned away for a job, a promotion, a school, or that manuscript you slaved over, you don’t need to keep the reminder to torture yourself. Shred it and try again. Studies show that rejection overwhelmingly results in a better end product, so put yourself back out there instead of ruminating on the rejection letters.
Your life is full already – don’t clutter it up by keeping these belongings that don’t bring happiness. Get rid of these 11 things and make room for some happiness.
