Make Facts, Not Feelings, Decide What Stays in Your Home

I sat cross-legged in my daughter’s playroom, surrounded by stacked bins of costume jewelry and half-used craft kits. My heart raced—each piece carried memories. But behind my emotional haze, I felt stuck. I realized I was practicing “stuff-shifting,” moving items from one bin to another, hoping future me would decide.

Pausing, I placed a plastic tiara on my knee and breathed. “Where would I look for this?” I asked myself. No answer. Then, “Would I even remember I own it?” My mind drew a blank. I felt a gentle click—fact over feeling. I dropped the tiara into a donate bag. The room felt lighter; my posture softened.

Mindfulness research shows that nonjudgmental awareness of our instinctive patterns creates space for choice. By replacing emotions with two simple, fact-based questions, I avoided the spiral of guilt and indecision that kept my playroom imprisoned.

That afternoon, I cleared three bins without tears. Each release felt honest and freeing. The next time I walked through that room, I noticed the silence—no more magic wands underfoot. I had become an observer, not a slave to sentiment.

Notice when you start shifting items instead of deciding. Pause and hold one item, then ask yourself where you’d look for it first and whether you’d recall owning it. If you can’t answer both, place it in your donate box. This simple pause teaches your brain facts over feelings. Try it with one item now.