Try This at Home

Try these clutter-clearing tips that didn’t make it into my book Outer Order, Inner Calm, because I thought of them too late. For instance, we discuss tips such as…

• Beware the “frenzy of the clear.”
• If you’re the “neat one,” and someone is annoying you with his or her mess, do everything within your power to create outer order in what you can control.
• If you’re trying to encourage yourself or someone else to create outer order in a space, think of what new, enjoyable use you could make of that space, so that it feels like working toward a gain instead of eliminating a problem.
• Face the problem of the quality discard.
• Ask necessary questions to get something out of a holding pattern.
• Don’t spend money to fix something you don’t even like or want.
• If an item needs to be repaired or tailored, set a deadline.

Happiness Hack

Change the alarm or ring-tone on your smart phone to a fun song from your playlist. 

Listener Question

Do you have dog sense, or sixth sense? Elizabeth does, I don’t. 

Gretchen’s Demerit

Repeat demerit. When I’m feeling worried and distracted, I often can’t manage to be warm and calm if I run into someone I know—in this case, when I ran into a friend right before the start of my first book event. 

Elizabeth’s Gold Star

Elizabeth gives a gold star to the marketing team for The Fix, for the terrific ads. To see the outstanding ad that played during the Oscar’s, watch here.