Helping
a Pack Rat Get Organized
By
Maria Gracia
The
wonderful, sentimental Pack Rat - so nice, so
loveable, so desperately out of space! Every
last nook and cranny of space is crammed with
boxes of old records, grade school books, reams
of outdated paperwork, decades of clothing,
piles of magazines, calendars and planners more
than 10 years old, old board games gathering
dust, toys from children that moved out on their
own years ago, plus that horrible artwork from
dear Aunt Martha.
The
Pack Rat keeps everything and finds it difficult
to get rid of anything. They can't bear to part
with their stuff. The following 10 ideas will
help Pack Rats free themselves from clutter
and stress.
1.
Think About It
Understanding why you're a Pack Rat will help
you focus on positive change. Are you a sentimental
person? Are your items proof of places you've
been, work you've accomplished, or how much
work you have ahead of you? Does the thought
of de-cluttering seem so overwhelming that you
can't find the motivation to begin?
2.
Don't be a Prisoner
Beware of being held hostage by your possessions.
When your stuff begins taking over your life
and you spend all your time climbing over things,
looking for missing items, and fretting over
where you'll put your next treasure, you are
wasting precious time that you can never regain.
3.
Teach Your Children Well
If your children pick up on your Pack Rat style,
they will have the same problem when they're
out on their own. If you begin to get organized,
your children will see how important it is,
and hopefully they will follow your lead.
4.
Recognize Clutter
As a rule, if you don't use it or enjoy it,
it's clutter. If you don't know what it is,
it's clutter. If it's too nice to use, it's
clutter. Toss it out or give it to someone who
will use it and appreciate it.
5.
Make it a Family Game
Get
your family into the De-cluttering Game. Make
a party out of it. Play music, have refreshments
- and toss, toss, toss. Plan a reward, such
as a big family dinner at a favorite restaurant,
after you've significantly reduced your clutter.
6.
Designate a "May Come in Handy" Box
If
you save things you feel you may use someday,
create a "May Come in Handy" box.
Place those things inside and when the box is
full, make yourself discard something before
you add anything else.
7.
Use the Rotation Box System
Instead
of displaying everything you like at once, display
a little bit at a time. Keep the rest boxed
up in storage. Every few months, store a few
of these things in your box and take out a few
other things out for display.
8.
Fix It or Get Rid of It
Have
you ever put aside broken items with the expectation
that you'll get them fixed one day? Chances
are, those items are still where you left them
and they're still broken. Immediately schedule
a date on your calendar for repair - when the
date arrives, either repair them or immediately
toss them.
9.
Picture It
Take
photographs of possessions you don't want to
forget, but don't have the space for. Save the
photos in a scrapbook. Keep the memory, rather
than allowing the memory to take up space.
10.
Avoid the Halfway House Syndrome
You
know - that's when you put things aside that
you're not sure what to do with. These temporary
storage areas almost always turn into permanent
storage. Force yourself to make a decision whether
to keep an item or throw it away.
by
Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!
Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized
Now! Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to
help you organize your home, your office and
your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site:
http://www.getorganizednow.com
