In General

• Was it a purchase mistake? (if so, that does not make it better to keep it)
• Does it take more time and effort to manage than it is worth?
• Does it make others unhappy to see it? Am I putting things before people and relationships?
• Do I need it?
• Is it redundant?
• Do I love it? Does it make me happy or unhappy to see it?
• If I were moving, would I pay to have it packed and moved?
• Would I buy it again?
• Is it broken, and if so, am I ever going to fix it?
• Am I ever really going to finish this project (book, quilt, etc.)?
• Can I borrow or purchase another one, if needed, without spending a fortune or having trouble finding it?
• When’s the last time I used it (assuming I knew it was there)?
• If I knew that someone else would really benefit from having this (i.e. if we found a great place to donate it), would that make it easier for me to let it go?
• Is this adding value to my home or business?
• Is this item getting in the way of my ability to find what I need, when I need it?
• Will this help me make or save money?
• Does it take up valuable “real estate” in my home by being here? Is it worth the space I’ve dedicated to it? Is there another place better suited for it?
• If I keep it, will I remember I have it? If I remember I have it, will I be able to find it?
• Does it belong to me? If not, get it to the real owner and out of your space.
• Convince someone else that you need to keep it. If you can’t, then let it go.

Paper

• Am I legally required to keep it (i.e. vital & tax records), and if so, for how long?
• Will I actually use it/refer to it/need it?
• Is the information still current?
• Can it easily be duplicated or created if needed again (i.e. found on the web)?
• What’s the worst that can happen if I toss it?
• Is it a duplicate?

Clothes

• Is the item in good condition? Does it have stains or tears or is it too worn?
• Is the item still in style?
• Does it fit? If not, is it within a reasonable number of size ranges of my current size range to keep it?
• Do I love the item, or even like it? Does it make me feel great to wear it?
• When was the last time I used this item? Would I use it again now that I remember that I have it?
• How many do I currently own of this type of item? Do I have something similar I like better?

Memorabilia

• Do I have anything else that reminds me of this event/person/time?
• If I took a picture of it, would that make it easier for me to let it go?
• Am I keeping it because someone gave it to me and I’ll feel guilty if I get rid of it?
• Does the sentimental value exceed the practical value? If so, by all means, keep it!

Special thanks to the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) chat group for authoring and compiling these questions!

When travelling, everyone wants to be comfortable and well-stocked, but no one wants to look frumpy once they arrive. So avoid undereye bags, dry hands, oily skin & hair, and try these products to look FABULOUS when you travel!

• Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Soap Leaves, $4. These paper-thin soaps pass airport security and are perfect for freshening up while traveling.
• Lush Jungle Hair Conditioner Bar, $9.95 and Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo, $7.95: a solid bar means no leaks.
• Pond’s Clean Sweep Age Defying Cleansing Towelettes, $3.99: handy makeup removers.
• Under eye cream (reduces puffiness & dryness when traveling)
• Bronzer – always look healthy & rested
• Lip balm keeps lips from chapping
• Hand cream (less than 3 oz. size)
• Wear a cashmere wrap or pashmina! They’re warm, chic & comfortable.
• Ted Gibson Hairsheet Styling Sheets: to soak up hair oils and add polish to your hairdo
• Downy Wrinkle Releaser (Travel Size) $2.99
• Place a couple dryer sheets in your luggage to keep clothes smelling fresh

If the thought of getting on the treadmill AGAIN makes you cringe, try these fun tips for staying motivated during your workouts. They keep your mind moving forward even when you’re walking in place.

• Find something interesting to listen to like podcasts, foreign language CDs or a book on tape. Audible.com has lots of good stuff to download to your iPod.
• Compile a 30 minute mix of dance or techno music that starts and ends with a song with slower beat for your warm up and cool down, and crank everthing in between with pumping beats that you can fall in step with and will keep you at your target heart rate.
• Time your workout with your favorite TV show so you know your mind will be occupied and entertained.
• Tune to a TV show that caters to short attention spans. The News or Hollywood gossip shows are great for this because there’s a new topic to distract you every 15 seconds.
• Mute a cheap TV show and play dance music instead. I like to do this with shows that I’d never understand anyway like Spanish soap operas (because I don’t speak Spanish), or TV shows like “Cops”, “Cheaters” or “The Steve Wilcos Show”. You’ll be amazed how you can still glean what’s going on and playing music will keep your pace up!
• Watch a movie. It can span one long workout or several smaller ones and give you something to look forward to.
• Watch a Musical or Workout show. Seeing other healthy bodies in motion will keep you focused and keep your body moving! Movies like “Chicago” and “Moulin Rouge” have great soundtracks and constant changes in scenery and anything on FitTV will make you strive for better glutes.

I had decided not to come up with any resolutions this year. With the economy creating a general malaise, and life’s dramas seeming so amplified this year, I’d decided to give myself a break.

But I realized I’d chosen to not come up with one because I was procrastinating. I actually had one in mind but it was going to be hard and lifechanging and requires short term emotional pain, so I was postponing it for “someday.” Someday I’ll have the energy to take it on. Someday I’ll have the strength.

And how did I think I was going to get that strength? That it would just happen? One day I’d just wake up strong? No, it doesn’t happen that way. Life gives you tests over and over until you learn from them, and through them, you become strong. Oprah always says that first life gives you a tap on the shoulder. When you don’t respond, you get a frying pan to the head. Well, this is my frying pan.

So I’m making a different decision. I’m going to lead by example. I’m going to be brave and face my resolution now instead of later. My resolution: OWN MY POWER.

I’m going to stop giving control of my life to others in an effort to make them happy while sacrificing my own needs. How am I going to do this? One step at a time. I’ll celebrate my small successes and I’ll give myself permission to forgive my failures when they happen.

Being a service-oriented and empathetic person by nature, I have a tendency to go out of my way to make others happy even if it means putting my needs last. I realized that at times I felt lost or empty because I hadn’t even thought about what I wanted in so long that I wasn’t doing much to feed my own soul. I had convinced myself I was content to try to make others happy and pretended that was enough for me.

So I sat down and concentrated on what I was most pleased with in my life recently, and it was overcoming my fears and taking the risk of starting my own business. And at that moment I realized I’d already taken the first step to owning my power earlier this year.

Feeling like I have a jumpstart already, I’m now motivated to reclaim my power in other areas, starting with my relationships. And here’s my action plan:

- First, I’m reconnecting with old friends. I’d shut them out so I could focus all my attention on just one person and that hurt me, that person, and my friends. Luckily, my friends are true and unconditional, and instantly forgave me. It helped me realize I don’t have to face things alone and there are people who care about my happiness even when I’m not being true to it myself.

- Second, I’m making new friends. I’ve met some very kind people this year and I’m making an effort to overcome my shyness and get to know them better. It’s exciting to learn about them and have some new energy infused into my life.

- Third, I’m going to limit my exposure to toxic relationships. This is the toughy. Some have been there so long it’ll be like amputating a part of my own body, but it’s in all our best interests. I’m going to work to find new ways to react to people who spew their poisons on me because they don’t have another way of behaving, and I’m going to forgive myself for feeling guilty if they’re unhappy. Their behaviors and their happiness are their own responsibility and it’s not up to me to fill them up inside. And vice versa.

Now that doesn’t mean that I won’t be a kind or caring person anymore. But it does mean that I will refuse to accept disrespect from others. I have to respect myself first before anyone else will, and those who don’t show respect just won’t be allowed in my life anymore.

It won’t be easy. But it will make me stronger. And it will lay a new foundation for my life that leads to a long path of very good things. So enough with the frying pan already.

What are your tough resolutions? What makes them so difficult to face? What’s actions will you take to accomplish them?