Five Tips for Purging

Challenge: Getting rid of stuff. You know what I mean (or at least you'd better. If your life is completely organized and clutter-free, go read someone else's blog like Zen Habits. We don't want your kind here).

Moving twice in six months (once cross-country, once locally) has forced me to look at my possessions in a new way. I am questioning what I have, what I really need, and what I really want to surround myself with.

I have a sneaking suspicion that on judgment day, we will not only be faced with a review of all our actions in this life, we will be faced with all the STUFF we accumulated! (And honey, I just may not make it to the promised land if I have to cart the 72 boxes of books I currently own).

So here's what I've learned so far. This will be an ongoing topic, an ongoing challenge, and an ongoing series. But I do have some things to share with you right now:

1. Create a mantra for yourself. Samples:
-"When in doubt, throw it out."
-"You can't take it with you."
-"I am not my stuff."
-"I don't want to leave this mess for my kids or loved ones to go through after I kick the bucket, so I'd better get my act together and get rid of a lot of it RIGHT NOW." (That last one is a little long, but effective.)

Repeat this mantra whenever you're faced with a tough challenge like, should you keep the "Tao of Pooh" book your mom gave you in 1992?. (Answer: No.)

 

2. Figure out your trouble areas. For some people it's shoes. For others it's cans of tomato sauce. For me, it's:
-Books
-Craft supplies (specifically, knitting, sewing, and scrapbooking)

I used to have a "thing" for clothing. I still love clothes, but I've become much more realistic about how much I need and what types fit my lifestyle (and my current body -- and that is another topic in and of itself!).

 

3. Set audacious goals. Don't just tell yourself you're going to throw out some stuff. Set a huge goal! For instance, I have committed to cutting the number of books I have IN HALF. And babies, I have a lot of books. A LOT. I may not actually get to the 50% mark, but even if I cut the number of books I have by 25%, that is significant.

 

4. Tell your family to keep the heck away. Purging is not a group project. If you can't do it by yourself (you keep getting bogged down) then have a particularly hard-hearted friend keep you company. Tell her you want her to push you HARD to get rid of questionable items. She can also bring you chocolate and massage your shoulders as needed.

 

5. Watch Hoarders while purging. Nothing like seeing where the slippery slope ends to keep stuff moving to the "Donate" pile. (You can watch several full episodes for free from the link above).

Got any tips on purging? What are your trouble areas? (Thighs don't count)

Comments

[Nicole]

Great post!

We used to move yearly and then in '07 we moved three times. My relationship with "stuff" was forever altered.

Sadly (or awesomely!) our weakness is books too - we homeschool so it's easy to justify - but as our love of the library has grown, it's been easier to pare down the thousands.

Looking forward to more posts in this series :-)

[Katie Scott]

Nicely timed post! This is the purge week! I do find that Hoarders show very depressing - like those people need a serious hug or something. I used to love Clean Sweep with Peter Walsh & Eric Stromer - more upbeat & seemed like they made actual progress with clutterbugs.

[Barb]

Love this post... not sure I'm up for the task quite yet, but maybe I'll tackle one of our trouble spots before I go back to work on the 4th. Good luck with your purging! :)

[Gaynol]

I got a Kindle for Christmas and I think that is going to help with my book "problem." After all it will hold up to 1500 books, so that's 1500 I don't have to find shelf space for :)

[DianeG]

My #1 tip is to spend the money (short money for what you get!) and sign up for Aby Garvey's Organizing 101 at www.simplify101.com! i've taken a few of Aby's online classes and the handouts, online forum and tips have made a real difference in my clutter threshold! We're still clutterific, but making our way to a more peaceful and serene household. Interestingly, even though I am a librarian (or maybe because I'm one and have millions of books easily available) I don't have a big problem with books--my collection is pretty much under control. Now...craft, crochet, cooking supplies...those are another story! Good luck with purging--I love to do it and I think I'll spend my new year weekend working on some trouble spots! Thanks for the inspiration, Lain!

[Kiera]

I am in the middle of reading "Throw Out Fifty Things" by Gail Blanke. I recommend it. I love her Rules of Disengagement.

[Lonely Scrapbooker]

Getting rid of books is REALLY hard for me, especially since my day job involves books... my solution is usually to build more bookshelves.
I store stuff in not-large plastic boxes and label them. The stuff stays dust-free and contained. That's my only tip.
Watching Clean House has been very inspiring to me lately too.

[Kelli]

Every Autumn, everyone in the house has to give away at least 25% of their belongings. What they give away is up to them as long as it isn't garbage (you have to watch those teenagers with perpetually messy bedrooms cuz they can save up a lot of paperwork they'll try to give away). I also have a plaque that is a quote my great uncle passed on to me, "The more you have, the more you have to maintain". I highly recommend that mantra :o)

[Nathalie (famille1999)]

One of my tip is bring your MIL to your house to help declutter! LOL Really, it was quite effective when we redecorated the girls' rooms this fall. We had to take everything out of there and when it came time to bring things back in, they went through their stuff with their grandma. Wow, I couldn't believe how ruthless they became with her alongside! LOL Now they both have almost clutter-free rooms. :) We'll have to see how long this will last.

[cate]

good luck purging your books!

[Michele]

You are so right about watching Hoarders! Even watching Clean House will help! Thanks for the post!

[Maureen]

I'm surprised you didn't add, "Move frequently, leave stuff in boxes, if you don't open them after 6 months toss them out" Hope you guys are liking your new place.

[Veronica]

Movers come in 2.5 hours, & I'm at Sbucks to gain caffine & confidence. I don't wish moving a scrapbooker on any one. We hoard supplies AND the stuff that ties us to our memories. Paring down your life to a moving van is hard enuf, then we need to find a place for it. I need all the purging advice I can get!

[daney]

I just watched hoarders for the first time on Monday night - o my land! that is totally inspiring.

me: our basement has that bad area - but it's not that bad right?

dh: (silence)

much (20 min) silence later -

me: so, you think our basement is THAT bad?

dh: huh?

me: these ppl are all in denial. Maybe I am in denial. Is our basement that bad?

dh: If it helps you get rid of all that stuff, then YES it's that bad.

IRL, my basement is only 2 yr old and doesn't contain garbage or empty food containers and there are NO DEAD CATZ, howev - there are several piled laundry baskets of clothes that need to go to goodwill!

We are going to goodwill tomorrow, so purge is tonight!

[Gab]

I am hopeless at purging. I was trying to tidy DS' bookshelves to make room for all his Christmas books. I came across a "Harry and his Dinosaurs" book with 5 stories in one, then a single book which was in that big one. But he'd written his name in that single book so I couldn't get rid of it!

[Lain]

You are funny! :)
Im getting really strict with my stuff. Its getting easier!

Sent from my iPhone

[Alli]

My Idea ...baby steps. one thing each day to help lighten the load. My stuff is starting to feel like extra weight. This week. I am copying out the select recipes, that I love, from my MANY cookbooks onto index cards. They can be stored in a small box and the books get donated to the library!! Yeah. cross your fingers for me.