WEBVTT - Take a picture, then let it go 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to take a picture of anything you're

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<v Speaker 1>having trouble letting go of. Often that's all you need

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<v Speaker 1>to do to honor the memory without keeping the object itself.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip comes from Marie Condo and Scott Sunensheine's new

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<v Speaker 1>book Joy at Work. The two authors talk about how

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<v Speaker 1>to declutter your desk and declutter your calendar in order

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<v Speaker 1>to achieve satisfaction. Condo, of course, has gained fame for

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<v Speaker 1>encouraging people to declutter their homes. Don't decide what to

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<v Speaker 1>get rid of, She often says, keep only that which

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<v Speaker 1>sparks joy. Of course, this is easier said than done.

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<v Speaker 1>We all have things we hold on too because they

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<v Speaker 1>remind us of something important in our lives. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>I've held on to the outfit I wore on my

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<v Speaker 1>first national TV interview. It represented achieving a professional goal

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<v Speaker 1>of mine, getting to share one of my books with

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<v Speaker 1>such a large audience. The ruffles on the shirt have

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<v Speaker 1>actually fallen apart in the intervening decade, so I could

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<v Speaker 1>never actually wear the outfit yet there it sat in

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<v Speaker 1>my closet. Condo and Sunenshein suggest an intermediate solution. Take

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<v Speaker 1>a picture of the object you're fond of. Often that

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<v Speaker 1>works to hold onto the memory. Then you can feel

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<v Speaker 1>free to let the object itself go. It turns out

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<v Speaker 1>that this really works. In one study, they Highlight researchers

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<v Speaker 1>advertised a donation drive using different posters. One urged students

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<v Speaker 1>to collect and donate their sentimental stuff. The other told

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<v Speaker 1>them to first take a photo of the sentimental stuff

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<v Speaker 1>and then donate it. The second poster, which urged the photo,

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<v Speaker 1>generated fifteen percent more donations. So while cleaning out my

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<v Speaker 1>closet these past few months, I decided to do just that. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I kept some sentimental stuff I can't quite part with

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<v Speaker 1>an old white coat of mine that represents some trips

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<v Speaker 1>I took with the boyfriend who later became my husband.

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<v Speaker 1>But for the rest I took a photo and then

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<v Speaker 1>felt free to chuck it in the pile. And I

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<v Speaker 1>haven't felt any urge to pull these items out. I

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<v Speaker 1>know the memory is there, I don't need the article

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<v Speaker 1>itself taking up space. You might want to try this too,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're having trouble letting go. Just take a picture.

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<v Speaker 1>Then you're not really letting go. You can still look

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<v Speaker 1>at the object whenever you want, but you just might

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<v Speaker 1>make space for something new in the meantime. This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four, then

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<v Speaker 1>breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i heeart media dot

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<v Speaker 1>com that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

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