How do you decide what to keep and what to toss? With these three simple steps it will be easy for you to get rid of clutter and be free of the guilt of holding on to things you don’t know what to do with.
It was a cool Tuesday Morning as we climbed among the huge landscaped rocks in our neighbors’ backyard. We were as quiet as cats’ paws because we didn’t want to wake anyone up as we cut the lavender to make into foot soak. The bees buzzing around the delicious flowers made more noise than we did.
When we returned home I took out the Epson salts and sea salt to mix with the lavender oil. On the jar I tied a sprig of the fresh lavender we had just picked.
I was in for a surprise because along with these ingredients I found some wax chips I had left over from making lip balm over five years ago. I had made over 20 pots of the stuff. I gave it to my family who let me know they preferred a national brand of lip balm over mine. I completely agreed with them. It was fun to make it once but I didn’t want to do it again.
This is a good example of saving things “just in case I might want it again”. When you are getting rid of clutter and you can’t decide if you should keep it or not because your monkey mind is telling you, “but I may need it someday” ask yourself this: Will I really use it again or was it fun at the time but I will never do that again. (Especially after others don’t want what you offered the first time).
If you aren’t regularly using something and you won’t use it at least yearly (such as holiday decorations) it is taking up valuable space and you can get rid of those things. Things you don’t love, use and have a purpose for is creating clutter.
If you haven’t needed it for several years what makes you think you will ever need it again? When was the last time you wore that special robe you were given 15 years ago. If you haven’t canned a bottle of peaches since 1999, despite you telling yourself every year that you will next year, you can safely give away your jars.
Getting rid of clutter can be fun if you donate items to a charity or a long term care facility. I was at a garage sale and a woman had 10 plastic boxes full of rubber stamps. They were all organized and labeled by type but she wasn’t using them anymore. I suggested she donate them to the local children’s hospital, senior citizens center or to an assisted living center. All of these places are on a tight budget and all of them do crafts. She was thrilled to know some places that could use them rather than to hang on to them and create clutter.
Get rid of clutter by asking yourself:
1. How long has it been since I have used it? 2. Do I still love it or am I tired of it? 3. Am I regularly using it or is it just clutter? Un-clutter your life today one space at a time.
Marilyn Bohn is the owner of Get it Together Organizing, a business dedicated to developing practical organizing solutions that help individuals and business professionals live clutter-free and productive lives. She is the author of “Go Organize! Conquer Clutter in Three Simple Steps” and is an experienced, enthusiastic public speaker, a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) and the author of hundreds of articles covering various organizing topics.
Marilyn takes the often stressful subject of organizing and breaks it down into her simple, easy to understand system. Her methods are both eye-opening and encouraging! She has a passion for helping others reach their personal goals and living a better, clutter-free life!
Marilyn offers personal, private consulting to assist in organizing and she invites you to sign up for free organizing tips at her website http://www.marilynbohn.com for easy organizing tips, videos, blog, workshops and more. Get your free guide on what papers to keep and how long to keep them at http://www.facebook.com/marilynbohn1