68
NOVEMBER 2012
WWW.TOMIMAGAZINE.COM
PERSONAL ASSISTANT
USE IT OR LOSE IT
L
ETTING GO OF WHAT
YOU NO
LONGER NEED
They have probably survived several previous
clutter clearing efforts. They are hanging
around taking up storage space in your home
and they are personally taunting you. They
are mean. They whisper too you. They prom-
ise things that don’t happen.
This time will be different. The
process of listing these clingy items, reviewing
the list, and trying to accomplish the list will
be a consciousness-raising experience. You
will look at this stuff differently. One way or
another, its hold over you will be diminished.
Once an item is on “the list,” it is much harder
for it to argue with you. You gave it a fair
chance, and now you can’t help but move for-
ward. These items will either be used by you
or sent packing!
For additional inspiration, check out a
related book called
Love It Or Lose It—Living
Clutter-Free Forever
by Barbara Hemphill and
Maggie Bedrosian (MD: BCI Press, 2002).
They offer a 5-step clutter control process:
“
design your vision, eliminate excuses, commit
your time, select your tools, and maintain
your success.” I like their process to form an
ideal vision of each room on the front end.
Design your vision. Work toward it.
Write down the items keeping you from your
vision. And finally, use it or lose it. If you can’t
get around to enjoying or making good use of
something today, when are you going to have
time to do it tomorrow? -
Barbara Tako
Don’t fret this fall--you can continue your
campaign against clutter even when you get
discouraged. Every year, actually several
times per year, it seems like clutter catches up
with me—in my home and in my business. It
is an unending process. That is okay. That is
just the way it is. The process actually keeps
us in shape and alert. Each time I remove
clutter, I get better at it, and you can too.
When I participate alertly in the process, I
learn new tactics and techniques. The process
goes more smoothly. I try a different angle.
One fall, I created a new mantra and a new
process to dig through cabinets, closets, draw-
ers, and cupboards: “Use it or lose it.” And,
“
Write it down.”
Are you tired of hanging onto things
because of good intentions or guilt? Are you
tired of telling yourself “I might need that
someday,” or “It still has some life in it,” or
“
Maybe I’ll have time to use it soon?” Do you
want to weed out before the holidays come
around? My response is, “Use it or lose it.” As
I purge clutter, I challenge myself that if I
continue to keep something in my life that I
can’t let go of because it tugs at me, I must
put it to its intended purpose soon, or, once
and for all, send it out the door.
This year I weed out clutter with a pen
and paper in hand, and you can too! First, I
write the current date at the top, and then I
write down the items and the corresponding
good intentions that make me keep them.
Items on the list that are still hanging on the
next time I weed out
must
go. Keeping a list
helps me to recognize them honestly and fi-
nally dispose of them.
As you go through each room of your
home, make a plan to incorporate this unused
stuff into your life. Put them on “the list.” Vow
to finally take those fall seminars or sit down
and finish any partially completed projects.
Give yourself realistic deadlines. Make plans to
wear the clothing, jewelry, or “perfectly good”
shoes that you have been hanging onto. Light
the candle you had been saving. Listen to the
motivational CD that you don’t listen to any
more but still aren’t sure you are ready to do-
nate. Read the books or periodicals that whis-
per to you. Above all, put everything on “the
list.”
Keep a list of those “hangers on” as
you weed out clutter. These guys are tough.
Barbara Tako is a clutter clearing motivational
speaker and author of
Clutter Clearing
Choices: Clear Clutter, Organize Your
Home, & Reclaim Your Life
(
O Books,
2010),
a seasonally organized book of clutter
clearing tips that readers can pick and choose
from to fit their personal style and needs.
http://www.clutterclearingchoices.com.