3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Digging into De-Cluttering

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Currently, I'm at work on the Let it Go! section of my organizing book. As often happens, writing inspires action and I feel motivated to tackle the clutter in my office that's been calling to me all summer. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. Although I love stuff isn't my primary personal style, all of the stuff that piled up in my office was, at one time, stuff that was important for one reason or another. Consequently, it takes more than a writing-induced nudge to turn motivation into action.

One way to jump-start that motivation is to devise a plan of attack, but a bit more greasing of the skids helps to keep things going if and when the plan stalls. Here are three ideas to keep in mind when the implementation is harder than expected.

Start with something easy. I opted to start my latest attack on my office with binders I hadn't opened in over a year. No-nonsense, non-sentiment-provoking paper. Starting out by sorting something where the keep/toss decision is relatively easy keeps us from hitting a wall at the outset. Similarly, starting to sort piles from the bottom is easier than starting at the top. With paper and clothing in particular, the oldest items are usually on the bottom of the pile. Outdated and forgotten, they're relatively easy to get rid of. Once we've tossed a few things, the whole Let it Go! process just feels easier.

Start small. Nothing makes me procrastinate faster than feeling overwhelmed. Promise yourself you'll eliminate one pile or work for half an hour, and then walk away, secure in the knowledge that you've made progress. Maybe even play "Beat the Clock," setting a timer and seeing how many items you can toss or put away before the timer goes off or tell yourself you can stop after you toss or put away a certain number of items.

Pick a season. Although I mean to go through all of my Christmas stuff in the off-season and my school files over the summer, what usually happens is that the need for these items (or new versions of them) is what finally motivates me to attack the piles. As with strategy #1, tackling old stuff can be just what I need to stop procrastinating and start de-cluttering, especially if it means making way for new and improved versions. And, when my mind is already "in gear" for a particular task or season, the work goes more quickly.

When Let it Go! feels too challenging, it's easy to procrastinate, which is sad because we miss out on the benefits a good de-cluttering session can provide. At its best, Let it Go! can help us feel lighter as we eliminate the old to make room for the new, or to free up the most beautiful of all organizational sights.

Clear space.