Most organizing projects hinge on one factor - decision making. This is true whether the project is at the office or at home.  Procrastination generally boils down to not facing a decision. In my own life I found most of my clutter was due to the fact that I couldn't decide what to do with it all.

I couldn't throw it or store it because...

These are "professional resouces" - True they were good resources,

once.  I had resumes five years out of date, training materials that were no

longer relevant, books on theories that were dated and reams of files

pertaining to people who had moved out of state.  Statistics show that 80%

of filed materials are never looked at again.

If I don't hide it, the others will take it (hoarding) - I only suffered from

this one a little bit but I saw it all around me.  Rather then getting up to go

to a central supply area, people would cram their desks with all manner of

office supplies, forms and the like.  This made it hard to order supplies on

a regular basis because the whole office may have been out of something

or there may really have been a years supply hoarded away.

It was a gift - Like it or not, I couldn't just throw it. Nostalgia plays a large

part here.  How  can you throw out the last sweater Grandma ever made for

you?  Moth eaten rag or not, it's the last connection to Gram.

I hadn't read it yet - I'm a voracious reader and curious about a

variety of subjects. Everything that caught my eye was put aside to

read "later".  Those stacks of unread magazines, articles and books really

mounted up.  Even my "Favorites" folder on the computer was overflowing.

I might need it someday -  Crafting was easier if I had lots of scraps;

fabric, paper, ribbon, tape, pens, paint, glue - you name it. And jars,

oh the jars!  Big ones and little ones, narrow and wide ones, tall and short

ones.  Jars for herbs, jars for paint, jars for leftovers. I had boxes of jars,

plastic containers and tins.

I always wanted one - Admit it.  Tucked away somewhere you've got a

pair of shoes you just had to have, and wore once.  Maybe it's a pretty dish

you never use or even a piece of funiture you craved and saved for and

now won't  let anyone sit on.   For me it's books that I felt I couldn't live

without.   They  hadn't been read for awhile but how could I get rid of them?

I knew I'd get  back to that hobby someday.

It might be valuable -  Yes, it might be.  We've all heard of people who

struck it rich with a collection of Barbie dolls just like the ones we threw out

when we left home.  Hindsight and all that.  If  you really think it may be

valuable get it appraised by an appropriate expert. If it is valuable insure it

and display it or store it safely.  Otherwise throw it out.

Yes, making a decision on what to do with things is very difficult but figuring out

how we got that way...that's the hard part!  Do a little thinking on this and we'll explore it more at a later date.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

by Jane Brunclik

come-to-order

professional organizing services

http://www.come-to-order.com

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