Sentimental Items: What to Keep?

What is the secret to downsizing keepsakes if you have accumulated a significant collection over the years? Or maybe you have young children and you are overwhelmed by artwork and other sentimental pieces that you are keeping for the future?

Photo by Alvaro Serrano

Christy King of The Simple White Rabbit writes a most helpful guide to minimising sentimental items in her article "Minimalist Keepsakes". She says:

"The key is to keep only mementos that are meaningful for us and for future generations." 

The more sentimental items we keep, the less significant each item can become as it gets lost in the mass of other things. Christy points out that it may take multiple reviews of sentimental items to gradually pick out what is most important to keep.One long session of looking through keepsakes may be overwhelming and a few shorter sessions more regularly may be a more effective approach. Also, over time we may become less attached to some items as our lives move on.

I have found that a very helpful way to keep on top of mementos is to have a box or a few boxes that act as physical limits on what can be kept. If, like me, you have even forgotten what is in the box, it may be time to reconsider what you are keeping!

A helpful way to organise children's keepsakes is to use a large plastic box that is filled with hanging files (or plastic enevelope-style folders), one for each year. Each year you and your child can pick a few meaningful artworks, a writing sample, any certificates that are important and an end of year school report. The folders will act as a limit on what can be kept each year. If you have a collection of 3D artworks then a photograph with the date on it may be a helpful way to keep memories of the various projects rather than needing to keep the physical objects.

Another helpful list of suggestions can be found on Andrea Dekker's blog in her post "Seven Ideas to Sort Through Sentimental Stuff". She describes ways to use and display your sentimental stuff so that it is not stuck in a box!

Some more suggestions for dealing with sentimental items can be found in my previous post by clicking here.

What are some of your ideas about keeping sentimental items? Please share your tips for keeping mementos and keepsakes under control.

Creating More Intentional Morning Routines

Do you struggle to get things done in the morning? What is the secret to being organised and productive with your morning time? Sometimes we need to think carefully about our morning routine and habits and make a deliberate effort to prioritise what is important so that the essentials get done each day. Rather than a frantic morning rush that leaves us feeling unsettled for the rest of the day, being intentional about our time can help create a calmer and more productive day.

Photo by Annie Spratt

In her book "Make Room for What You Love", Melissa Michaels writes:

“Habits are friends, not foes. Have you resisted habits because you want to feel free and spontaneous?  When we become more intentional with what we do during the day and how we use our time, we have more room for spontaneity and creativity. What do we really want to do in life? How could being more efficient with our daily tasks make more room for things that are truly important for us?” 

So what are your priorities for the morning? What do you need to do so that you can get on with the rest of the day feeling satisfied that you have accomplished the essentials? 

8 Things to do before 8 on the blog "Beauty in the Mess" is a helpful list of things you might like to prioritise each morning so that your day (and home!) runs more smoothly. One of her tips is to do a "brain dump" and then consider the top to do's that must get done that day. This is very useful advice particularly if you are feeling frazzled and overwhelmed by the amount of things you feel you need to get done.

Not a "morning person" and struggling to get going in the morning? On her list of 7 Habits to Add to Your Morning Routine   "Morning Motivated Mom" suggests doing something refreshing. This can be anything you find fun and inspiring - drinking a slow cup of coffee, writing in a journal or something from your self-care plan. Perhaps if the first thing you do each morning is something that refreshes you, you might find it easier to get up and get going each day.

If you are in a season of life when you are in difficult circumstances, then remember to give yourself a lot of grace especially if you are not getting much sleep. We all need to work out what works best for our own circumstances. My last tip is to prepare as much as possible the night before if this is when you have more energy!

Are you a "morning person"? What are some of your morning priorities? Please share your tips for creating a good morning routine.