by Isi Dixon of Well Organised

When people hear about what I do, which is Organising & Decluttering, they immediately think I make people get rid of all their prized possessions and will try to get rid of everything they want to keep. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Organising does not mean getting rid of everything. It does, however, mean getting rid of the following categories:

• Broken items
• Unused items
• Stained items that cannot be cleaned
• Items in disrepair that can’t/won’t be repaired
• Items you hate
• Items that bring up bad memories/bad feelings
• Rubbish and junk

I am sure there are a few categories I’ve missed out, but you’ll get the idea.

Getting rid of all these items should only leave you with items that you use, items that you love and items that are of special meaning to you. Getting rid of all the redundant items in your house means that you now have more space to display and store the items you really want to keep.

There is also a big difference between items you want to keep and items you feel you should keep. Every Professional Organiser who is worth their money will explain the difference to you.

More items to get rid of

Unwanted presents You should not keep items out of feelings of guilt, because someone gave them to you as a present and you think it would make them feel bad if you got rid of that item. Turn it around and imagine you are giving someone a gift and you find out that they are only keeping it to please you. They are only holding on to it to make you feel better, they display it when they know you are coming to visit. Wouldn’t it make you feel incredibly guilty that you’ve given your friend something that burdens them in that way? A true friend would not want to burden their friends like that. A present is given because it is supposed to bring joy not guilt.

Items that are only kept because they were expensive to buy You cannot part with an item because you spent a lot of money on it. I can see the logic, you don’t want to waste money. But guess what – the money has already been wasted. You bought the item and you are not using it. Now you are potentially spending more on the item, to store it, to maintain it, to clean it – the item is now costing you valuable resources, and these are space, time, energy and maybe even more money (if you’re paying for storage for instance). Save yourself any more expense and get rid of the item, sell it to recoup some of the expense or donate it and let someone else have the benefit of the item. Put it down to experience, and think harder next time whether an item is really worth buying.

To sum up, organising does not mean getting rid of stuff you want to keep, but getting rid of stuff you don’t want to keep but for whatever reason think you should.

Isi Dixon is a Professional Organiser and Motivational Speaker in the Nottingham area of Great Britain. She specializes in helping homes and small businesses make more of their time and space. If you would like to find out more, please visit her website http://www.wellorganised.org/or her blog http://www.wellorganised.org/blog/.

Are you hanging on to piles and piles of stuff for no better reason than guilt? There are good reasons to hang on to stuff, but guilt is definitely not one of them! Join us as we work to let go of our guilt along with our clutter!

1. Don’t Throw It Away: Many times we are unable to let go of clutter because we feel guilty about throwing things away. Letting go doesn’t necessarily mean throwing away. Here are just 2 options available: Have a garage sale, or donate to a charity, or even do both at the same time. In a garage sale you have the opportunity to at least recoup a bit of your outlay.You will never recover full value, but some is better than none. If you donate to a charity, someone else can benefit from your generosity, plus you are able to take a tax deduction for charitable donations. If you elect to have a yard sale, schedule a truck from a charity to pick up what doesn’t sell.
   
2. But I Spent Money On It! Are you held back by guilt because you spent money on something–even if you are getting no value from it? In this case, you are feeling needless guilt. Once the money is spent, it’s gone. Unless you are able to return the item for full value– doubtful at best–the money is gone. The best thing you can do is to let go of the needless guilt along with the unneeded clutter.
   
3. Helping Others: When you are at the point of letting go of the clutter, try donating items to the following types of organisations: women’s shelters, homeless shelters, children’s groups at churches, preschools and day cares–even church youth groups, women’s ministries and nursing homes. Items like toiletries, clothing and bedding would be greatly appreciated at shelters. Items like craft supplies would be appreciated by preschools, day cares, nursing homes and church groups. Knowing you are helping others can alleviate a lot of unnecessary guilt.
   
4. Wishing you had more time to do fun things with the family? One of the things we often fail to take into account is the amount of time our clutter claims. The more stuff we have, the more we have to maintain , clean, take care of, etc. When you get rid of the clutter, you have more free time to enjoy with your family and friends.
   
5. But it was a gift!! Whatever the gift is–it very likely was given to you without strings. Once given, the recipient gets to decide whether or not to keep it. If it is something you truly don’t love and won’t use, re-gift it (just be careful not to re-gift it to the original gifter), donate it, sell it, give it away, or toss it. You could also exchange it for something you do love and will use.
   
6. It Has Sentimental Value! Are you hanging on to Great Aunt Agnes’ item just because it was hers? Donating the item does not eliminate the memories you have of the person who gave it to you. Take a picture of the item . You will always have your memories regardless of whether you have the item, and looking at a picture will evoke the memories just as well as looking at the item itself, without the clutter.
   
7. Simplicity and Serenity: You Deserve Them! When our lives are cluttered and chaotic, serenity often escapes us. But each of us should be living simplified and serene lives. By removing the clutter from your home and your schedule, you are much more likely to reach simplicity and serenity. If we are honest with ourselves, when we have schedules and homes that are packed to the max with stuff, all we feel is frenzied and confused, not serene. Begin to remove the extraneous stuff and take steps that get you closer to simplified and serene.
   
8. One Person’s Trash: You’ve heard that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. It really is true. When you donate items to thrift stores like Lifeline you are helping in more ways than one. The people who can’t afford to buy new are able to afford your gently used items and consider it great when they find nice things in their price ranges.
   
9. Less Housework!! How much time does cleaning take you? When you have lots of stuff around, it takes lots longer to clean and dust. Now I don’t know about you , but anything that reduces housework is a good thing in my mind! So start donating that extra stuff and you’ll find it much quicker and easier to clean your house–leaving you free to do much more fun stuff!
   
10. Drop in guests are not a worry! Do you hate to have drop in guests because there is so much stuff you don’t want anyone to see it? When you reduce the clutter, you not only aren’t worried about clutter, you welcome guests, planned or drop-in! You may even find that you want to entertain more!