This week we get into the listener-requested topic of dealing with belongings that have been inherited. We talk abut how you can make clear choices about what to keep or let go and guide you through sections of our free decision tree and inspire you to practice decision making so that organizing can get easier over time. Don't forget to download the free decision tree from theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklilnks and join us as we practice making decisions with purpose and efficiency!
Join our weekly email newsletter for all-things organizing & productivity delivered right to your inbox https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
In this episode we talk about:
- How to get clarity when you're faced with those tough choices about what to keep or let go
- Practicing the act of making decisions in your organizing journey
- Our Keep or Toss Decision Tree: Inherited Items Edition and each section – Emotional Value, Family Legacy and Personal Use, Practicality and Resources, Sentimental Value and Guilt, Sell, Donate, or Discard
Mentioned in this Episode:
——
The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Join our weekly email newsletter for all-things organizing & productivity delivered right to your inbox https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
Review the Transcript:
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:00:00]:
Hey, friends. Welcome to this week's episode here at organized and productive. I'm Stephanie, your host. If we have not met, hello and welcome. I'm so glad that you're here. If you are a seasoned listener. Ah, you know, you make my day. I'm so happy that you're here and that you send me all of your feedback.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:00:18]:
I'm so appreciative. And one of those feedback emails that I recently got was from one of you that said you love the keeper toss decision tree, the sandwich generation edition of that decision tree, because we have two. We have one for more, like the everyday items, like deciding what to keep or what to toss. And then we have one more specific for caregivers or if you've inherited stuff that may not have originally belonged to you. So you'll want the sandwich generation edition for that. And you asked me to if I could do a podcast on more of what the decision, like the decision tree questions and so how to kind of navigate through the decision tree. So that's what I'm going to be doing today. I am actually bringing the decision tree here to life on the podcast.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:01:08]:
And in my opinion, you still will need to download it. It's free. It's a quick couple pagers with some very quick questions. The entire purpose of this decision tree is that it acts as your personal organizing companion, which provides you clarity when you're faced with those tough choices about what to keep or let go. And if you want a deeper dive into the process, then you can always, you know, ask me questions, or we can get deeper in one of our calls. But this, this decision tree is made so that you can quickly kind of go through the yes or the no motions and at least have some clarity of, or movement at the end of the decision tree, like the yes no questions. So that's the entire purpose of this. And if you're more of a visual person, I still think that you need to download it.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:01:55]:
Like, like I said, it's free. Head on over to the organized flamingo.com quick links, and then you can just download for free anyway. But if not, just listen in, write the questions down, and then at the end, we will have a little bit more clarity over the things that you might be having a hard time figuring out if you should keep or toss. Okay? So let's go. Welcome to the organized and productive podcast with the organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you. Yeah. Well, then let's go all right, so in the decision tree, there are about.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:02:39]:
There's five questions that I ask. So there's five pages. The entire thing is ten pages, but the actual questions themselves are about like five pages worth. And within, there's like two. Two questions. So five pages, five set of themed questions. And within those, there's a couple questions in there, right? And then you just go yes or no? And then you go down the decision tree. So that's a for visual purpose.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:02:59]:
That's what it is. If you have not downloaded it, there's additional considerations I talk about in there, and then I do define what each section is. Okay, so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go through each of those five sections, and then I'll do the additional things to consider with the purpose that you will have some clarity at the end. So what I want you to do is, as I go down this exercise, and you might come back to this podcast episode a couple of times, but what I want you to do is think about the one, like one thing at a time. So not an entire room or an entire project or things. I want you to think about this one particular item. So let's pause for a minute. You can just pause the episode here and think about something that you have been having a hard time letting go and.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:03:47]:
Or you're not sure if you even should let go. You might not need to. So this is not about having, you know, convincing you one way or another, and especially not making you things, throw away things that you may not be ready to or I believe that you should hang on to. Okay? So this isn't a one, like a convincing one way or another. But I do want you to think about one thing at a time so that we can concentrate and you can have more clarity. One thing at a time. And then the goal is that over time, it will be easier to do it. The more you do it, like the more.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:04:21]:
More items you do this exercise on, the easier it will get. It will be for you to go through the decision tree. Okay, so let's talk about number one, which is emotional value. And emotional value is the deep personal connection and potential distress you would feel if the item were lost or damaged. So this is often tied to the memories of or the person who passed it down to you. So that's the emotional value that you are placing it. Okay. And the first question is, would you be extremely upset if the item was damaged or lost? And then you go to yes or no, and there's a guide there.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:04:59]:
The second question is, does this item have a high monetary value? And the reason this question is important is because if you answer yes, but you also answered yes to the other question is one of my suggestions is to insure it. So get an appraisal if you're not sure of the value and then consider professionally storing it if you're not going to be using it regularly because older things can start to get damaged with the elements. And if you, if it's not of high monetary value, but it is of high emotional value, then you want to insure it if you can, but if you're able and if it makes sense financially, but focus on the safe home storage options. So, like climate control, making sure it's protected because you've, you've said it's the reason that you're not sure if you want to donate it, it's because you want to keep it. And if you want to keep it because it has high emotional value but not that high of a high, high monetary value, then let's make sure that it's protected at the very least. All right. The second section of this is the family legacy and personal use. So the first question is, well, first, the family legacy and personal use means that the desire to preserve the item for future generations or incorporate it into your own life through use or display.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:06:16]:
So that is what this section is all about. So do you wish to keep the item primarily to pass it down to future generations? And then there's a yes or no. And then if you answer no, we go move on to another question. Is the item usable display. Like, are you able to display it in your home at how it is right now? So think about that one thing. Yes. Well, then invest in a proper storage display to protect it while enjoying it. So this is very common for those older, vintage antique type of items.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:06:49]:
And if not, if it's not, if it's not your style but you do want to keep it, then prioritize professional storage for long term preservation. Okay, so let's make sure we protect that thing then, for the next section is all about practicality and resources. So do you use or display the item regularly or do you have space to do so? This is all about practicality and the resource. Like, are you actually using it? And remember, this is like a decision tree. So this is also based on the questions you answered right before this. But do you, so do you use this item on often or do you have space to do so? And if you do, then keep it. You know, keep using it. But consider that, does it feel, does it need any repairs? Does it need to get maintained to be usable? That we have in episode six, which is on the, you know, evaluating should you or not evaluate, but thinking about should you outsource or do it yourself, it's episode six.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:07:51]:
Is the current storage adequate for long term preservation? So wherever you're keeping it right now, if you will be keeping it, if you've decided, you know what, yes, I do use this item, and I do want to display it. Does it need to be fixed? Can it be fixed? How much will it cost? Does it make sense? And then, you know, where will you be keeping it if. No, that is not a possibility because you don't use it and you don't have space to keep it, then focus. So then move on. You know, move on to the next question. Basically, this next section is all about sentimental value and guilt. And sentimental value and guilt is all about the feelings of obligation or attachment you have towards an item, even if it's nothing frequently used or it doesn't hold significant personal memories, which means, is this something that you're holding on? You are putting the guilt and the value to it, even if it's not usable, you don't really need it. You don't use it.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:08:53]:
And it could. All of those things can be standalones, right? It could be that you do like it, but you don't use it. So I just want to make sure you separate and the monetary, actual value with the sentimental value and the guilt. So do you feel obligated to keep the item out of guilt or familial pressure? Meaning, like, just because it's a family heirloom, do you want to keep it? Do you feel like you have to keep it? Okay, so we'll. So if it's a yes, then does this item carry high sentimental value, even if unused? So do you feel the guilt? And then do you actually have a high sentimental value attached to it? Okay, so then we have the yes and the no, right? So we'll move on to the next one in just a second. See, this is why I'm saying you should probably print this out just because of the visualization of it, but the. If you do want to keep it, because there is. There's guilt, okay, there's guilt associated to it.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:09:47]:
You feel like even if I. You don't want it, you should keep it for other generations or just keep it, you know, you never know. Then label it really well and store it carefully. Maybe consider a memory box approach if space is limited, but label it really carefully. So that you do know what it is. And then if, if all of these questions lead to the sell, donate, discard section, this is the last section. Which sell, donate or discard is the final stage where if the item doesn't fit any of the previous categories, then you explore options for responsible disposal, whether it's through selling, donating or discarding. Right.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:10:26]:
But if it's good enough to sell or donate, if it is, then research its potential value. Appraise it. Use Google lens now with technology, use AI to your advantage. Take a picture of it. See if one of the search engines will pick it up so that you can compare it to something else that is out there and sell it. You know, online auction list, it may be a garage sale, et cetera, depending on where you, you know, the high, if it's a high value item or not. And, and then of course you can always donate it to a relevant organization. But do your research and if it's not good enough to really sell or donate, then let it go responsibly.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:11:05]:
Maybe recycling, depending on what it is, if it's a toxic item, maybe it's something you need to call your waste management company about or just throw it away. You know, if it's something that's just a common item that, you know, what, like, no matter what you, no matter how many ways you have looked at it, it just doesn't make sense after answering all of the questions. So we go ahead and let it go. Some other, some of the things that I want you to think about is theft prevention. So depending on the item's value, consider security measures like a home security system, maybe a safety deposit box. This is really predominant in jewelry items that you want to keep. If you decide to keep them, you know, have them safe. If you're going to keep it and carry them literally around, I want you to be protected and I want you to make sure, I want to make sure that you have the best, that you take care of it the best way, so that when you are ready to take whatever next steps it is, it's not damaged documentation.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:12:03]:
Keep records of appraisals, insurance policies, and any historical information about the item, even if it's not worth a lot of money. This is particularly true if you want to donate it later and you want to tell the story, maybe to a museum or a school or a display. So document it as much as possible and then put it away in a safe place, in a safe space and a space that, where it won't get ruined. Reevaluate your needs and priorities might change over time. So don't hesitate to revisit this decision tree in the future for the exact same item. So however you feel right now and at the end it, you end up keeping it, then go ahead and do this exercise again and see if it still makes sense. And then the family communication. So discuss the decisions with family members to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:12:51]:
I wanted to add this in here because, and I might add a couple more as time progresses, as you are going through the yes or no's of all this, whether it's the quiz format or the this just print out version, is that I you are making decisions for things that you have a right to be making decisions for. And, you know, if. I know sometimes there's just the drama of family dynamics and friends and whatever, whoever else is involved, but clarity, you know, if you can get that out of the way as much as possible, making sure that everyone who has an opinion got their opinion out and you've considered it, if that. If that's irrelevant or you don't even want to deal with that, then just at least consider that you've thought about it. Okay? I'm really big about okay. Even if you don't do anything about it, you understand that that is a possibility so that you're not surprised later on. Okay. See, I told you this was going to be one of our quick ones.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:13:49]:
Once in a while. We do have these very quick run throughs of either services that we have out there or like something that I want to explain a little bit further. And this is one of them. And or just super quick tips that you could be listening in on while you're doing whatever action in your organizing journey. So this one is meant so that while you're thinking about those items that somehow you were passed or given to, that you can quickly make some decisions, at least to move some things forward. You might need some more clarification or you might have more questions around this. So give us a call, send us a message. I would love to be part of your planning committee for this next phase of your organizing, decluttering, or downsizing journey.
Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:14:35]:
Okay, so we are here. We're available. But this resource should at least get you to the next step and make some clear decisions on your own. Go ahead and download it [email protected] quicklinks and until next week, happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the organized and productive podcast with the organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources, head on over to the organizedflamingo.com podcast Happy organizing.
