Big Girl Panties Diaries- Entry #29: Closet Cleanouts & Corporate Clutter
Some days, the closet is just a closet. Other days, it’s ground zero for a complete life renovation.
Ever wake up in that mood? You know the one:
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Everything’s ugly.
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Nothing fits.
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If you could, you’d toss every hanger, every shoe, every “maybe someday” that’s just collecting dust.
And maybe — just maybe — it’s not really about the clothes. It’s about the version of you who bought them. The version of you who felt small, or was trying too hard to be someone else, or needed that blazer to feel “powerful” — even though you hated wearing it.
So you start yanking sweaters off hangers like you’re tearing down the whole house — because in a way, you are. Out with the old self. Out with the regrets. Out with the “shoulds” that don’t fit who you are now.
Funny how tossing a pair of jeans can feel like therapy, right? One bag for Goodwill. One bag for the trash. One tiny shred of your sanity returned.
But here’s the thing: it’s not just closets. We carry clutter everywhere — especially at work.
Companies do this too. They cling to “wardrobe staples” — the bloated org charts, the stale strategies, the outdated processes that looked great ten years ago but squeeze us tight today. We keep them because they feel safe. Or because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Or because someone, somewhere, might ask why we threw them out.
And honestly? I’ve done it too. I’ve clung to roles, relationships, and entire versions of myself that didn’t fit — just because I’d invested so much in them. Letting go felt wasteful. Like an admission I’d gotten it wrong.
Big Girl Panties Rule: If it doesn’t fit you — the real you, the now you — it’s clutter. And clutter is a weight you don’t have to carry. Same goes for your team, your systems, your strategy.
The work is messy. The Goodwill bag is heavy. But the space you clear? That’s where the next version of you — or your business — has room to breathe.
Smart leaders know when to do a closet cleanse. They look at every dusty blazer — every initiative, every old habit — and ask: Does this still serve us? If the answer is no? Donate it, trash it, thank it for its service — and make room for what fits now.
Because sometimes the boldest move isn’t adding more. It’s having the guts to keep less.
So — what’s your “blazer”? What’s the outdated role, stale project, or tired narrative you’re still dragging from meeting to meeting, hoping it magically fits again?
Maybe your next big strategy doesn’t need more. Maybe it needs a giant Hefty bag and the courage to say, “This doesn’t fit anymore. And that’s okay.”
#BigGirlPantiesDiaries #ChangeLeadership #Declutter #OrganizationalHealth #LettingGo #ChangeLeadership