P104.1 - Keep, Not Sure, Donate, Recycle, Trash |
One of the last person's helped with personal organization had a book.
When someone needs help with de-cluttering and organization, the helper has to be of proper mindset to respect the fact that encouraging someone to do anything other than "keep" creates separation.
There is a pile of items that are unorganized that are taking up space.
Whatever lands in "Not Sure" is to be organized by similar item, similar shape, similar color, similar application. These items should then be placed in small, manageable boxes of similar size (if at all possible).
Whatever lands in "keep" gets organized in boxes just like the "Not Sure".
IT IS CRITICAL YOU INVEST MINOR AMOUNTS OF MONEY IN SIMILAR SIZE COLLAPSIBLE BOXES TO STORE THE KEEP AND NOT SURE ITEMS. Bankers boxes or small packing boxes as found at Home Depot are great. Decide if you need single walled or double walled cardboard (double is stronger). Buy the next size up boxes only if absolutely needed and only for those items that need the larger boxes. More smaller boxes are better.
Get the donate, recycle and trash items out of the space quickly.
Allow the "Keep" and "Not Sure" items to percolate.
Every few months, revisit the "Not Sure" Items. Create the same piles again (Keep, Donate, Recycle, Trash, Not Sure). Pull all items out and re-categorize and then disposition again. Every few months or less, revisit the "Keep" Items. Create the same piles again.
Once you get to the point where you've revisited the stuff once or twice with little to no change, start extending the time between visits. Try to get better at filtering for that which you know you don't need more, and faster, as it comes in.
- It was a few inches thick.
- "How to get organized".
- OMG.
- Who'd ever make it to the end of that book?!
When someone needs help with de-cluttering and organization, the helper has to be of proper mindset to respect the fact that encouraging someone to do anything other than "keep" creates separation.
There is a pile of items that are unorganized that are taking up space.
- Create 5 clearly defined areas for items. They may be boxes to start with, or chalk lines on the ground, or pieces of paper in front of floor space or counter-top space.
- Create signs or cognitive signs for these areas: 1) KEEP 2) NOT SURE 3) DONATE 4) RECYCLE 5) TRASH
- Donate, recycle and trash can be re minced through for subtle shifts from one to the other later. Error towards donate and downgrade to recycle and trash later. Anything one is unsure about keeping goes into NOT SURE
Whatever lands in "Not Sure" is to be organized by similar item, similar shape, similar color, similar application. These items should then be placed in small, manageable boxes of similar size (if at all possible).
- Boxes the size of bankers boxes or just a little larger are ideal
- Then make space for the boxes
- Stack efficiently with magic marker on the outside identifying all items inside
- Build our 2x4 shelving if needed (see business module storage options)
Whatever lands in "keep" gets organized in boxes just like the "Not Sure".
IT IS CRITICAL YOU INVEST MINOR AMOUNTS OF MONEY IN SIMILAR SIZE COLLAPSIBLE BOXES TO STORE THE KEEP AND NOT SURE ITEMS. Bankers boxes or small packing boxes as found at Home Depot are great. Decide if you need single walled or double walled cardboard (double is stronger). Buy the next size up boxes only if absolutely needed and only for those items that need the larger boxes. More smaller boxes are better.
Get the donate, recycle and trash items out of the space quickly.
Allow the "Keep" and "Not Sure" items to percolate.
Every few months, revisit the "Not Sure" Items. Create the same piles again (Keep, Donate, Recycle, Trash, Not Sure). Pull all items out and re-categorize and then disposition again. Every few months or less, revisit the "Keep" Items. Create the same piles again.
Once you get to the point where you've revisited the stuff once or twice with little to no change, start extending the time between visits. Try to get better at filtering for that which you know you don't need more, and faster, as it comes in.