Last Week I found a wallet in a parking lot and opened it up to try to determine who it belonged to. Inside the wallet was a driver’s license, student ID, debit card, frozen yogurt rewards card, a gift card, and a coupon for ice cream. That’s it. Do you want to know what’s in my wallet right now? 9 credit/debit cards (personal ones and business ones), 2 insurance cards, my driver’s license, an employee guest badge, both of my college student ID’s that I haven’t needed in MANY years, 5 gift cards, 5 frequent purchaser cards from places I’ve eaten, my library card, 1 membership card, 10 rewards cards, a picture of my husband and I from when we first started dating, a souvenir coin, and a handful of change totaling maybe $5 (although some of it is foreign currency). That’s 37 cards. This kid’s wallet could have fit in an envelope. My wallet looks like a small purse.
This whole experience was eye opening! It made me realize how badly I needed to simplify some of the areas of my life… starting with my wallet. But simplifying is hard. Really hard! So as I sat down to do it, I kept reminding myself of the following tips:
This whole experience was eye opening! It made me realize how badly I needed to simplify some of the areas of my life… starting with my wallet. But simplifying is hard. Really hard! So as I sat down to do it, I kept reminding myself of the following tips:
Focus on What’s Really Important
Whether it’s your wallet, office desk, email inbox, or something more substantial like your plans for the future or financial business investments, focusing on what’s really important is the key to paring down. I would suggest organizing things into three groups – could do without it, might need it, and definitely have to have it. Then get rid of everything that’s not in the “definitely have to have it” category and let items work their way back in only when you discover that you need them.
What I got rid of using this advice: Anything I hadn’t used in over a year.
Prepare without being a Hoarder
So often I end up with a lot of unnecessary things hanging around because I think to myself “What if I need it someday?” or “If this happens, I’ll need this!” But then that day either never comes or when it comes I completely forget that I even have the item I’ve been holding onto for that very moment and the opportunity is lost. So instead of being incredibly prepared, I simply end up hoarding items.
What I got rid of using this advice: Loose change and cards for rewards programs that can be looked up from my phone number instead of requiring the card.
Overcome the Fear
I worry all the time that I’ll lose things, so I hold onto them so that I know right where they are. This is a problem when holding onto them means putting them at a greater risk for losing them. Instead of keeping everything within an arm’s reach at all times, I need to get better at setting things in a designated place and knowing that when I need them, they’ll be there waiting for me.
What I got rid of using this advice: Gift cards to retail stores and restaurants that I won’t need on the fly.
Hopefully now you have the tools needed to take a simpler approach to your life. I want to hear from you – what do you need to simplify!
For those of you who are wondering what happened to that wallet that I found, I called his college and told them I had found the wallet and that I would be turning it into the nearest police station. I also provided my phone number in case the student needed it to get a hold of me in the time before I would be able to bring it into the station. The young man later texted me to thank me for finding it and turning it in. All’s well that ends well!
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
Whether it’s your wallet, office desk, email inbox, or something more substantial like your plans for the future or financial business investments, focusing on what’s really important is the key to paring down. I would suggest organizing things into three groups – could do without it, might need it, and definitely have to have it. Then get rid of everything that’s not in the “definitely have to have it” category and let items work their way back in only when you discover that you need them.
What I got rid of using this advice: Anything I hadn’t used in over a year.
Prepare without being a Hoarder
So often I end up with a lot of unnecessary things hanging around because I think to myself “What if I need it someday?” or “If this happens, I’ll need this!” But then that day either never comes or when it comes I completely forget that I even have the item I’ve been holding onto for that very moment and the opportunity is lost. So instead of being incredibly prepared, I simply end up hoarding items.
What I got rid of using this advice: Loose change and cards for rewards programs that can be looked up from my phone number instead of requiring the card.
Overcome the Fear
I worry all the time that I’ll lose things, so I hold onto them so that I know right where they are. This is a problem when holding onto them means putting them at a greater risk for losing them. Instead of keeping everything within an arm’s reach at all times, I need to get better at setting things in a designated place and knowing that when I need them, they’ll be there waiting for me.
What I got rid of using this advice: Gift cards to retail stores and restaurants that I won’t need on the fly.
Hopefully now you have the tools needed to take a simpler approach to your life. I want to hear from you – what do you need to simplify!
For those of you who are wondering what happened to that wallet that I found, I called his college and told them I had found the wallet and that I would be turning it into the nearest police station. I also provided my phone number in case the student needed it to get a hold of me in the time before I would be able to bring it into the station. The young man later texted me to thank me for finding it and turning it in. All’s well that ends well!
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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