Sold or updated your home in the last year? If so, your real estate agent, or designer, walked through your space and said, “Get rid of these pillows.” Or, “Put fewer tchotchkes (Yiddish for decorative objects with no functional use 🙄) on your table. Or, “Remove the clutter in your office.”

No one told you to add items.

Recently I removed an antique trunk from our bedroom. This beautiful piece originated in Berlin where my father grew up and I’m attached to it; but this huge thing is five feet wide!

The room looks 100% better, bigger and more functional without the trunk.

Your Best Editing Tip Ever

Get rid of something.

Before The Edit

AFTER The Edit!

Getting that trunk OUT of my room makes me think about all the places in your world that you would benefit by deleting vs. adding stuff.

Ever complained about reading a short email? A video that doesn’t go on and on? A desk where you can find your charger?

Here are ideas of what you can get rid of:

• Verbal clutter. Stop writing and saying “actually”, “really”, “basically” and “honestly”. (I’ve blogged about my bad relationship with the illy family.)
• Long emails. Get to the point. You don’t need the opening greeting sentence that says nothing.
• Ancient food in your fridge. (I’m bad at this.)
• Long blogs. (Ok, I’ll quit writing now!)

Your Speak For Yourself® homework: Look at your work and home space. For many – those two spaces have co-mingled. What can you get rid of? Look at what you write and listen to what you say. Edit, edit and edit.

© 2021 Karen Cortell Reisman, All rights reserved

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