Dealing with Clutter-Clearing "Yeah Buts"

If you are having trouble "paring down," it's likely that your inner voice is saying "yeah, but..." a lot as you try to make your keep-or-toss decisions. For example, you might pick something out of a closet and mentally say to yourself, "I guess I don't really need this," but before you can actually put it in a give-away box, your inner voice pipes up with "Yeah, but..."
- "It's so pretty/expensive"
- "It reminds me of Grandma"
- "I haven't used it yet"
- "I could wear it if I lose some weight" ... and so on.

Listening to your inner "yeah buts" will help you gain clarity about why you are hanging on to this stuff. For example, I can easily toss out letters and greeting cards, but getting rid of clothes that I haven't worn in five years because they are a size too small is very difficult for me. What this really means is that I am secure in knowing that the people who love me love me, but I am not at peace with my body and don't want to accept that I'm not quite as slim as I used to be.

"Thank you for providing the impetus for me to take de-cluttering seriously, and for helping me to believe it actually is possible."
~ Clutter-Free Forever! support group member