Sometimes career insights come from unexpected places.
Today, mine came from a spare bedroom.
I spent four hours working with a professional organizer to clear out a room in my home that had slowly become a storage space for items I had not touched in years.
We still have two sessions left.
Even though we are not finished yet, I already feel lighter.
Letting go turned out harder than I expected.
Some of the items had been with me for more than 20 years.
Books I always planned to read someday.
Clothes that belonged to another version of my life.
DVDs I have not watched in years because streaming replaced them.
Cassette tapes from Marianne Williamson that helped me through a difficult chapter in my life. I do not even own a cassette player anymore.
Next on the list: my CDs. A true Gen X artifact. i no longer own a CD player. My car does not even have one!
For years, those things stayed because they represented something.
A memory.
A moment.
A version of who I used to be. A belief that I might need them someday.
Working with Abby changed the way I approached the process.
She did not pressure me. She asked thoughtful questions.
Do you still use this?
Does this belong in the life you live today?
Is there a better place for this item?
Those questions forced honest answers.
We also created what I started calling “areas of purpose.”
Every item that stays in the room must have a clear place and a clear reason to be there.
One space for work-related materials.
One area for things I truly value.
One system for storage.
The goal is not to get rid of everything.
The goal is to remove what no longer belongs in the life you live now.
One small example: a miniature artificial Christmas tree.
I kept it for years because I thought I might need it again someday.
When I donated it, I felt relief the moment it left.
Here is what surprised me.
Many things we hold onto exist because the world used to work differently.
Books filled with information that now lives online.
DVD collections are being replaced by streaming.
Music libraries are stored in physical cases instead of digital playlists.
Devices that no longer connect to anything.
Technology quietly turned many physical objects into clutter.
Another pattern appeared quickly.
Duplicates.
Items purchased twice because the first one disappeared into a drawer or box. Once the room was organized, I discovered things I already owned.
That alone changed how I think about buying new things.
But the hardest part of the process was not the objects.
It was the memories attached to them.
Those Marianne Williamson tapes reminded me of a time when I was searching for answers and found guidance in those recordings.
Letting them go felt strange.
But I realized something important.
The lesson stayed even when the object left.
That moment made me think about something I see executives struggle with during career transitions.
They hold onto things that once served them but no longer belong in the next chapter of their career.
Reframe Your Career Clutter 🔍
When executives enter the job market, they often approach their resume and LinkedIn profile the same way many of us approach our closets.
They keep everything.
Every responsibility.
Every role.
Every project.
Every certification.
Nothing gets removed.
The result is a career story filled with noise instead of clarity.
Hiring leaders do not need to see everything you have ever done.
They need to see what matters now.
Let Go of Outdated Career Artifacts 📂
Just as physical clutter accumulates over time, career clutter does too.
Old titles that no longer reflect your leadership level.
Responsibilities that describe tasks instead of impact.
Early career roles that distract from your executive identity.
Projects that once mattered but no longer support the direction you are going.
Executives often keep these things because they feel they are important to their history.
And they are.
But history does not always belong in the headline of your future.
Create “Areas of Purpose” in Your Career Story 🎯
One of the most helpful things Abby did during the organizing session was to assign a purpose to every space in the room.
That concept works when evaluating your professional story.
Your resume should highlight experiences that support the role you want next.
Your LinkedIn profile should reflect the leader you are today.
Your narrative should communicate your impact, not just your responsibilities.
Every element needs a reason to be there.
If it does not support where you are going, let it go.
Why Letting Go Feels So Hard 🪞
The hardest part of organizing my room was not the objects themselves.
It was what they represented.
Memories.
Growth.
Earlier versions of who I was.
Executives face the same career challenges.
Past roles become part of identity. Letting go of how you once defined yourself feels uncomfortable.
But growth often requires making room for something new.
The organizer never asked whether something “sparked joy.”
She asked a different question.
Does this still serve the life you live today?
That question works just as well for a career.
A Question for You ❓
Look around your home.
What are you holding onto because you think you might need it someday?
Books you plan to read someday.
Clothes from a lifestyle that no longer exists.
Old technology you cannot even use anymore.
Now ask the same question about your career.
What parts of your story are you holding onto simply because they have always been there?
Old titles?
Responsibilities that no longer define your leadership?
Experiences that belong to a previous chapter?
Cleaning a room looks like a small task.
It rarely is.
It forces you to decide which parts of your past deserve space in your present.
I still have two organizing sessions left.
But something already changed.
My home feels lighter.
And so do I. 🌱