Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

Clutter Busting

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: The Best Laid Plans…

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…don’t always happen.

This weekend I was supposed to have a garage sale. I did not. My husband and  I have chosen to postpone the sale until next spring.

One of the things that we had planned to sell were my father-in-law’s tools. But my husband didn’t have the time to go through them and, to be honest, I don’t think he is ready to part with them yet. Because these items were going to be my draw, I decided to postpone the sale while we went through the process of sorting the tools.

He has done such a great job in donating, giving away and throwing out after my father-in-law passed away. As a clutter coach I was so proud when he took pictures of some childhood memories and let them go. So I can empathize with his need for more time to let go. Sometimes letting go is a process. And he has already accomplished a lot.

Now that doesn’t mean that I won’t continue to de-clutter the basement. In fact I will probably have more stuff for the sale in the spring. That’s what I am heading to do next. I’ll be spending a few hours tackling some more boxes.

How is your current de-cluttering project going?

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: References

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References are papers that you save for future use because you think that it contains some vital information. How much storage or drawer space have you allowed for your references?

References are nice to have papers but not necessary papers. In fact, I would bet that once filed you probably don’t use a lot of those papers. We never use 80% of the papers we file away. If you need proof catch up on your filing and then for a month or two or even three months, every time you pull a paper from your file cabinet to use, put an “X” on it. After the designated time period audit your files and see what percentage of the papers you have stored you have touched. I will guarantee that you haven’t touched 80% of it or even more.

So schedule some project time to purge references or files you haven’t used in the last year. Here are some tips when it comes to making decisions about filing references: [Read more…] about The Journey Into Clutter Busting: References

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Professional Files

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My college degree is a B.S. in Dietetics and for the first part of my career I worked in the areas of clinical, management and community dietetics. The majority of my career I have spent coordinating community education programs, teaching wellness programs and managing several departments.

For many years, three boxes of dietetics files have resided in my basement. As part of my basement journey, I needed and wanted to tackle these boxes. I am pleased to say that I am down to one box of current references and educational materials.

Over the years I have periodically tackled those boxes and actually at one time had a total of five file drawers for my dietetics references so I had already gotten rid of some of the papers. But when I approached the project this time it was with the realization that I was never going to do clinical dietetics or manage a kitchen or teach diabetes education programs again. So it was different. It was different because I no longer felt the need to keep my files “just in case”. I realized I was holding on to some of those reference files just to be prepared in case I was asked a question related to the field of dietetics or had to jump into a different job or role I would have some tools at the ready. [Read more…] about The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Professional Files

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Make it Easier to Let Go!

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You may be holding onto your clutter for many reasons, but some of the top ones are:

• You think you will need it later.
• You paid good money for it.
• It might be valuable.
• It has sentimental value…Aunt Jane gave it to you for a wedding gift.
• It’s been in the family for years.

Here are some ideas to help you let go of items if you are holding on to things for sentimental or monetary reasons:

• Use the one-year rule. If you haven’t used something in a year chances are you will never use it.
• Discover the true value of an item. Go on eBay or CraigslistHowMuchIsItWorth.com for price guidelines for items you think are antiques and collectibles.
• Regift Aunt Jane’s vase to someone who will enjoy and display it, but follow regifting guidelines.
• Give a family treasure to another family member who will love it more than you do.

Make the commitment to let go of your clutter. Think about who can benefit from the items you are not using, make a plan and do it!

It you need help letting go of your clutter, contact me for a 30-minute free sample coaching session today.

The Journey Into Clutter Busting- What to do with What You Toss

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My basement de-cluttering project continues with a lot of items moving out or scheduled to move out in the garage sale.

But there are times that you may want to get rid of clutter but don’t want to host a garage sale…you just want it gone now. Here are a few of the many resources for where you can get rid of items: [Read more…] about The Journey Into Clutter Busting- What to do with What You Toss