Why Letting Go Is So Hard (The Japanese Way to Finally Do It)

Two kettles sit on my stove. I use one every morning. The other one, I could not let go. Folding and organizing are easy to learn. Letting go is a different skill, and almost nobody teaches it. In this video I share what finally worked for me: a few old Japanese ideas from my mother and grandmother, two scientific studies on what clutter does to your mind and body, and the surprising way the story of the two kettles ended. What you will learn Ma, the Japanese idea of the space between things, and why your brain needs it Why you should gather one kind of thing in one place before deciding anything Why decisions belong in the morning, in silence One honest question: "If this broke today, would I buy it again?" The "someday voice", and what mottainai really means Otsukaresama: thanking an object before it leaves The box with a date on it, for things you cannot decide about Gifts, expensive things, storage boxes, and the one-in-one-out rule Chapters 0:00 Two kettles on my stove 0:55 Ma: the space between things 1:48 What clutter does to families (the UCLA study) 2:20 Gather one kind of thing in one place 3:15 Decide in the morning, in silence 3:47 The question: would I buy it again? 4:23 The "someday" voice 4:45 What mottainai really means 5:45 Otsukaresama: thank it before it goes 6:39 The box with a date on it 7:27 Gifts 8:19 Things that cost a lot 9:10 Don't buy storage first 9:30 One in, one out 9:55 Back to the two kettles 10:47 What I finally understood 11:45 What letting go is really for 12:36 How to start this week Research mentioned Princeton University (McMains & Kastner, Journal of Neuroscience, 2011): objects in your field of view compete for your brain's attention. UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families (Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century): 32 working families filmed at home; clutter was linked to higher stress hormone levels, especially in mothers, and 3 out of 4 garages were too full to hold a car. Tell me in the comments: what is the one thing in your home you already know you should let go? #declutter #japaneseliving #lettinggo