Stefano Landi
We all have too much stuff as George Carlin would say. I recently came across an Audioboo posting talking about decluttering and wanted to share some of my strategies to help declutter.
One rule I developed a long time ago for myself was if I haven't looked at, used an object for a year or more, or I don't have a very specific plan for it I get rid of it.
Take 15 minutes and declutter only a small corner of your space, while doing this if you come across something of interest ( a long lost pamphlet for something, or perhaps a snippet of a magazine) set it aside as a small reward with a cup of tea after having finished your 15 min declutter session.
I use Toodledo and have a specific task with sub-tasks just for decluttering.
I subscribed to www.freecycle.org here in the Montreal area, it's a great way to give away stuff you otherwise don't need, that may benefit someone else. http://www.freecycle.org and browse for a group in your area.
This is tied in with my earlier point, have a specific plan for stuff. I have a small box in which I place all sorts of odds and ends for my eventual foray into Steampunk. Small gears, watch parts, small interesting metal things, etc... I also have a small fishing tackle box for electronic parts I collect here and there for small electronic projects. My goal eventually is to have matching toolboxes or containers that fit neatly into a corner of my office for small things like this.
I've recently begun finding/buying/downloading PDF versions of books I have lying around. Although I love my books, some of them can be quite large and having them on my e-reader is convenient.
Along with no. 6 I have also started scanning and classifying old magazine articles I had lying around or bits of paper, post-it notes and what not and putting the information in Evernote :)
Last but not least, I try to live by the moto. A place for everything and everything in its place. It sometimes helps me to control the clutter and really brings out the need to get rid of stuff.
