What to Keep and What to Throw Away
Tips on Decision-Making as You Organize
July 9, 2009
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I was working with a client in her home office. We were surveying what we had already accomplished and deciding what to do next when I picked up an object from the top shelf of her bookcase. I said, “What are you going to do with this?” She looked at me and smiled, knowing that her answer was important to our organizing tasks. She said, “I really like the colors, they are so bright and cheery.”
“But do you use it?” I asked.
I knew the answer before she did.
That conversation prompted me to show her a guide for making decisions as you organize.
Clutter is postponed decision-making. I see this all of the time with my clients. They don’t know what to do with papers, objects, old supplies, etc. One of the many hats I wear as an organizer is that of organizing coach. I never tell clients that they have to get rid of or keep anything. That decision is up to them. My role is to ask questions that will make decisions easier for them to make as we organize.
Difficulty making decisions slows down the organizing. Here are four tips to guide you in the decision-making process:
- If you love and use it, KEEP IT.
- If you don’t love it and don’t use it, TRASH IT.
- If don’t love it, but use it, DISCUSS IT WITH AN ORGANIZER OR SOMEONE ELSE.
- If you don’t use it, but love it, DISCUSS IT WITH AN ORGANIZER OR SOMEONE ELSE.
The first two tips are easy to apply. The second two require more thought and discussion. I also recommend that if you are going to get rid of something that still has value, consider donating it instead of trashing it.
If you can’t make a quick decision, put it in a pile or box marked “decide later” so that you don’t slow down the organizing process. Then, when you are finished the sorting process, work with the “decide later” pile.
The result will be a less-cluttered, more inviting home.
