The smile test is the quintessential decluttering tool to help make decisions about things.
Being surrounded by friends and family during my decluttering whirl winds would be awesome. I imagine that I would hold up a pair of leopard print shoes, and like in the days of the roman gladiators, my crowd of supporters would roar; Yay or Nah! Thumbs up, keep it. Thumbs down, it goes.
After reading Sue Kay’s book, No More Clutter, I’ve realized I have my own little decision-making Coliseum, right on my face: it’s my smile.
I’ve found this test is excellent for sentimental items. All those old childhood toys, teenage diaries, photos, cards and jewelery. When decision-making becomes difficult, like when I start thinking about how my Mother regrets burning all her teenage diaries, I just look at it and reflect on how it makes me feel. It’s then easy to tell whether you’re hanging onto things for the wrong reasons (guilt, obligation, laziness etc), because there’s no smile on your dial.
I’m currently using this technique to decide which sentimental items I’ll keep for my memory box. And using my list, rather than physically going through the items, has helped me decide more rationally which items are significant and worth treasuring and which items are things in my life but not needed for my future happiness.
The sentimental (or things not used on a daily basis) items that won the beauty pageant smile contest are:
- Book – Frida Kahlo
- Photo album – childhood
- Pink crystal
- Tiger stone
- Jewelry – childhood unicorn
- Jewelry – childhood silver bangle
- Jewelry – teenage Celtic ring
- Pile of cards and letters
- Toy – teddy ‘roobear’
- Toy – tiny dance skirt
- Diary – 1997
- First bank book
- Race ribbons
- Tiny shells in tiny box
- Photo with Dad when I was 3
I still need to down size some of these things. I don’t need a whole pile of race ribbons or letters to bring a smile to my face. Just a few of the best.
Once I see how much space these things take up, I’m going to buy a special ‘memories box’ to store them in.
100 Thing Challenge 