Minimize Inside Clutter
You know that voice in your head. It’s the one that starts chattering away the second you try to purge a few things from the pile.
You could use that someday.
Keep that: You’re going to fix that so it works again.
Doesn’t Susan need one of these? You should hang onto it.
You can’t get rid of it. That was a gift from your late aunt.
Those voices are inside clutter, often preventing us from making any progress in our goal to get organized. So clearing the internal clutter is a big step when planning to purge the outside clutter. How do you quiet the voices?
With logic. You KNOW your goal is to get organized. We’re not saying all these decisions are easy. But understanding your motivations around your stuff will help you battle the urge to give up when organizing becomes a challenge.
So when each question comes up, respond:
Photo by Wonderlane.
Voice: You could use that someday.
Your response: Under what circumstances will I use it? How? When?
Voice: Keep that: You’re going to fix that so it works again.
Your response: It has sat up here for 10 years and I haven’t fixed it yet. I will either fix it by next week or let it go.
Voice: Doesn’t Susan need one of these? You should hang onto it.
Your response: OK. I’ll put it in the “donate” box. Bu then I must ask Susan within one week if she wants it. If so, get it to her within another week. If not, off to a donation center.
Voice: You can’t get rid of it. That was a gift from your late aunt.
Your response: (combination of the following) I didn’t even like her. I barely knew her. I have never used this item. I believe this item to be ugly. I have great memories of my aunt, and I have other ways to honor her memory, with photographs and gifts I use and love.
By the way, you may have to minimize inside clutter when it comes to taming your schedule. Brain chatter tells you to keep certain tasks or to complete an activity perfectly. You have to quiet that chatter to create better schedule flow.
Read more in Brain Chatter About Stuff or Brain Chatter About Time & Tasks or by watching Janice below.