Welcome to the Working Solo Minute, the 60-second newsletter designed specifically for solo entrepreneurs. To unsubscribe or change subscriber options, see the bottom of this issue.

You can view this newsletter (as well as earlier issues) on the Web at:
http://www.workingsolo.com/minute.html

In recent issues we've been talking about how to get your solo business off to a productive start in the New Year. Today we consider how the stuff of life can weigh us down and hold us back.

Earlier this month I chatted with professional organizer Linda Samuels of Oh So Organized! about the reasons soloists may have trouble letting go of items. Over the past 15 years of helping her clients create organized environments, she's discovered four key reasons people hold onto things long after they have served their purpose.

1. Sentimentality
We often hold on to things for sentimental reasons. "Be selective about what you keep," Linda suggests. "Take photos to remember, and give the actual pieces to appreciative recipients."

2. Familiarity
Soloists may also keep things because they are familiar and comfortable, Linda observes. "Yet if they have outlived their purpose, consider releasing them."

3. Inertia
Often we don't take time to ask questions about our possessions. Things enter our lives, are barely used, collect dust, and take up space. Linda advises soloists to ask, "Has this item overstayed its welcome?" If so, let your things move on.

4. Rationalization
We keep things because we might need them someday. However, that time may never arrive. In the meantime, the items become both mental and spatial clutter.

From her years of experience, Linda knows that "letting go is difficult. It can't be rushed." She encourages soloists to "give yourself enough time to be ready to do it." At the same time, it's important to take action to clear your life of items that have overstayed their usefulness. Linda observes that sometimes it's helpful to have someone with you. "It doesn't have to be a professional," she says. "It might be a trusted colleague or friend."

Recognize that mastering the accumulation and subsequent weeding of the stuff of life is an ongoing process, since we all will continue to face an influx of new things in our lives. Find a strategy that works for you, and recognize that this is one area in which soloists are not alone!

Followup:
A few readers have written to say they enjoy the new format and design of the newsletter, but that the type is frustratingly small, particularly for aging eyes. If this is your experience (and as an aging Boomer, I can relate), I encourage you to read these issues on our Web site in the Working Solo Minute archives. Issues are posted a few hours after being mailed in most cases, and all past issues can be found as well. Using simple keystrokes, you can easily increase the size of type on your Web browser. (On Macs, this is Command-+, which is the Command (or Apple) key along with the plus sign key.)

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com