• Box 3 is This belongs in the trash or recycling
• Box 4 is for “Suckers”- items such as photo albums, love letters, etc- that could suck you into “digging up bones” (It could be a long time before this box gets dealt with, so maybe you want it to be sturdy, with a closeable lid)!
o Go one room at a time- and follow a simple process in each room.
• Surface objects: Deal with the things that are on counters, shelves, mantels- the stuff that you ass by everyday that has become invisiblet.
• Clog Spots: One at a time, work through, from worst to best, the drawers, closets, corners where stuff clogs up.
• The rules:
• Your philosophy: Gentle Ruthlessness!
• Clothes: If it doesn’t fit, give it away or pack it away.
• Books: If it’s been read and isn’t reference or a favorite, give it away.
• Extras: If it’s a duplicate or triplicate, give it away.
• Useful or Beautiful Test: If you don’t use it, or don’t find it beautiful, give it away.
• Bad Energy Test: If it has an emotional negative charge, out it goes (for example, I’ve always hated that thing, or it belonged to the ex and everytime I look at it my mental energy goes there).
• Chaos test: Things that are broken must be fixed or they must go- keeping broken (non functional, not necessarily chipped cups) things invites chaos.
o Be grateful, and take joy, as you go. We like positive affirmations as we go, not beating ourselves up!
For example:
• “Hello cassette mix tapes from college that I recorded off the radio. I will never listen to you again, because even my car and stereo didn’t come with a cassette player, and as a result, I haven’t popped one of you in in the last 5 years. Someday you will be collector’s items, but not now, and that someday is too far in the future for me to worry about. I may weld you into an end table as a found object art project, but if not, bye bye.”
• “Hello black pants that are 2 sized too small. I am so grateful to have had the resources to bring you into my life. Now, I am passing you on to someone who can wear you so you don’t get lonely in the closet.”
• “Hello duplicate fondue set that I haven’t used since New Year’s Even 1998. (ed note: Fondue sets and any cookware used once a year or less should only be rented, never owned), we’re simplifying over here, so I am moving you on to someone who’s in the midst of being an avid home chef.”
• Sorting it out. When you’re done with a room, move your boxes to the staging area. Move on to the next room. When you’re ready to call it a day, you’ll come back here and sort stuff out further, so that it can be immediately moved out.
• Caution: The Suckers: A word about documents, photographs and memorabilia
This stuff will derail your organizing and you won’t get a thing done, trust us.
Put these things that draw you in into the suckers box (so named not only because of the time suck, but because it pulls you into the past).
• Caution: Planning for Future Fun- what to keep!
Sometimes in the rush you can be overzealous. This applies to art supplies, costumes, zany stuff. Seasonal stuff. Just get that in one spot, and make it accessible for later use.
Now that you've got your stuff sorted, here's our guide to consciously moving that stuff on!
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