| Do you need to declutter but you do not know | | | | - Am I in danger? |
| where to start? Perhaps you are held back by fear | | | | - Have I placed someone else in danger by my |
| of throwing out something you might need or want? | | | | actions? |
| Or do you keep items that are perfectly good (or | | | | - Have I made my life better or worse with my |
| maybe not so good) because you cannot live with | | | | declutter tactic? |
| the guilt of throwing them away? | | | | If you are feeling guilt try to answer these questions: |
| The declutter tactics profiled here might be just the | | | | - Has something bad happened? |
| solution you are looking for. These suggestions are | | | | - Did I do anything to cause it to happen? |
| not meant to be a systematic way of clutter control. | | | | - Did my actions cause harm to another person? |
| These extreme tactics are for people who are held | | | | In the days following the eviction of your clutter try |
| back by confusion or emotion and then do nothing | | | | to become more emotionally aware of how are you |
| rather than try to analyze what is really going on. | | | | feeling not having those magazines, or papers, or |
| These tactics may also aid those who are time | | | | other stuff around to clutter your life. |
| challenged and think they do not have time to | | | | - do you feel better or worse? |
| engage is a systematic purge in order to bring about | | | | - do you miss your stuff? |
| more order to their environment. Each extreme | | | | - does it call to you from the trash bag? |
| declutter tactic takes just a few minutes. | | | | - do you have any regrets? |
| The purpose for using an extreme tactic for getting | | | | Just a word of warning these are extreme tactics. It |
| rid of clutter is to lighten your load, so you can feel | | | | is not the reduction but rather the emotional |
| what it is like to be unburdened and also examine | | | | response to the reduction that is the most important |
| what it feels like to actually discard items. Many | | | | part of these techniques. |
| people procrastinate the purge because they are | | | | But what if? |
| afraid that they may get rid of something they need | | | | It is quite possible that you will throw something out |
| or want later. These extreme declutter tactics can | | | | that was needed. But that is the whole point! The |
| help you to realize that you can live without most of | | | | idea is to develop some perspective around the |
| what you have cluttering up your physical space | | | | importance of the stuff you have discarded. It is |
| without any serious consequences at all. | | | | already not serving any purpose and only blocking |
| The goal of these extreme tactic for getting rid of | | | | your growth and potential in your living space. How |
| clutter is to see how it feels to reduce the amount | | | | important can it be? If the stuff was important it |
| of stuff in your life. If you are a person who has | | | | would be adding value to your life or if it was an |
| difficulty getting rid of clutter it is highly likely that | | | | important piece of business you would have taken |
| using these techniques will stimulate an emotional | | | | care of it already. If you really loved it you would be |
| response. It is the examination of that emotional | | | | looking after it properly instead of letting it just |
| response that will help you understand your clutter | | | | clutter up your space. |
| habit and the emotions that perpetuate it. | | | | - Perhaps you discarded a bill that needed to be paid? |
| Here are the rules: | | | | I can absolutely guarantee that another will be sent |
| | | | asking for payment. Make sure you pay it when it |
| 1. You are not allowed to examine any item or | | | | arrives. |
| ponder its future use or purpose. | | | | - Perhaps someone else's stuff got sent to the |
| 2. Use only one extreme declutter tactic per week. | | | | garbage as it was not in it's proper place? You have |
| Tactic #1 - Pick up a pile of magazines and put them | | | | the right to get rid of other people's stuff anyway. If |
| in the recycle bin - do not go through them or select | | | | they do not want to care for it and make sure it is |
| any magazines at all just pick up whatever you can | | | | returned to its proper place then they do not really |
| handle and throw! | | | | value it. |
| Tactic #2 - Get one garbage bag and quickly go | | | | - Perhaps you discarded a magazine that had a recipe |
| from room to room in your house and pick up | | | | you wanted to try? Go to the internet and you can |
| anything that is homeless and place it in the garbage | | | | find twenty versions of that same recipe there. |
| bag. Unless you live in a mansion this should not take | | | | A lot of times the excuses for keeping stuff around |
| you any longer than 10 minutes. Tie up the bag and | | | | us are manufactured reasons that we use to protect |
| put it at the curb for garbage pickup. | | | | ourselves from the possibility that getting rid of |
| Tactic #3 - Pick a pile of paper clutter and take the | | | | clutter will make us feel guilty by accidentally doing |
| bottom half of it put it in a paper bag. Label with the | | | | something wrong and throwing out something that |
| date and seal it with tape or staples. Put the bag | | | | we might regret. Sure that might happen, but you |
| right back in the place where the papers were. In | | | | can handle it! |
| one month if you have not opened this bag simply | | | | Extreme declutter tactics such as the the three |
| get rid of it (make sure you take it to the shredders | | | | techniques profiled here can help you to develop |
| if it has identifying information on it.) | | | | some perspective on the real consequences of |
| As you proceed with getting rid of clutter using | | | | clearing clutter. |
| these techniques take notice of your emotions. | | | | I can also give you another guarantee. Those |
| If you are feeling fear try to answer these questions | | | | consequences are never as bad as what you have |
| : | | | | imagined in your mind. |
| - Is there a legitimate reason for my fear? | | | | |