topic: sentimentality with possessions 

when doing a Kon-mari tidying marathon, you declutter by category not location.  starting with the easiest to let go of (clothes) and ending with the hardest, (sentimental).  the idea is that by doing the easier groups first you are honing your editing skills by the end for when it gets real.  i think the hardest part of it all is that anything can be considered sentimental, even common pocket litter like a ticket stub or a candy wrapper.

you can't keep it all, yet as i was telling my son i was going to go through his old school art and edit some out he says " well, once it's gone, it's gone."  yikes.

sentimental items can be very hard to edit especially if they are possessions from a loved one that is gone or a moment in time that passed such as your child's early years. i think the best way to approach sentimental sorting and discarding is at a slow pace.  work on it when you feel the right frame of mind.

categorize all of your sentimental type items together in bins/boxes, such as: photos, letters, childhood items. maybe even by person they represent or life periods. start by tossing out any easy to let go of stuff like photos of asshole exes along with their letters. then start the true process of Kon-mari which is picking the stuff you love and really want to hold on to.  items that transport you to moments of nostalgia.  review what's left and consider if it really holds true sentiment.  more items doesn't necessarily mean a more vivid trip down memory lane.

after gathering up the best mementos what to do with them?  most organizational experts will say you are not honoring these items if you don't display them. and yes, items that can be displayed or used should be,  however most of these items are not going to be objets d'art.  i had a friend that used shadow boxes and put ticket stubs, photos, receipts, paper umbrellas etc. from vacations and hung them on the wall in her entryway, and if that's your thing then hook that up.  i am actually in favor of keeping these precious bits stashed away, in something i call a sentimental plunder bin.   being able to physically dig through these mementos, hold them in your hands, and reflect on thoughts makes them all the more powerful and sentimental.  it's like opening a time capsule, an old steamer trunk from the attic, a Harry Potter pensieve and diving mind and heart into the past.