Saturday, July 30, 2011

Steps to Simplicity #1: Declutter

During my recent move, I stored a large stack of miscellaneous papers in a big binder, promising myself that I would go through the papers soon. Soon turned into several weeks. Finally, last weekend, I went piece by piece through the binder finding, to my amazement, that almost every single piece of paper was useless.

By the time I actually looked through the papers, the majority of those "just-in-case" and "maybe-I'll-need-that later" scraps had become irrelevant.



We all have those piles of clothes we'll wear someday, events we'd like to go to if we get time, papers we'll sort through one day.

But there is something very freeing about realizing and acknowledging that someday, for most of our clutter, will never come. Give yourself permission to sort through that stack and aggressively prune all of those scraps from your calendar, your closet, and your desk.

If it doesn't contribute to your vision, it might be time to toss it.

Steps to Decluttering

1. Make a pile. This pile might be clothes, miscellaneous possessions, papers, even events on your calendar. But seeing all of the clutter physically in one place will help you force yourself to sort through it.

2. Sort through the entire pile, piece by piece, separating everything into one of three categories (a "keep" pile, an "action" pile, and a "throw" pile).

3.Put everything in the "keep" pile back in its appropriate, permanent place. This might involve filling papers, entering events into your calendar, or refolding your winter clothes.
4. Throw away everything in the "throw" pile.

5. Take action on every single thing in the "action" pile. Mail the cards, take the clothes to the Goodwill, and repair that broken item. If you decide the action required isn't worth the effort, throw the item away.


Decluttering is the first step towards simplicity.

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