Different varieties of clutter need to be approached in different ways. Here we’ve identified 7 types of clutter, and some ways we can tackle them.
Type 1: Things that we know we need no more
Type 2: Things that might come in handy one day
For each item in this category…
Ask yourself…
- Are you really likely to need it?
- If you don’t have one when you need it, could you:
- Use something else?
- Borrow one?
- Get someone else to use theirs, for you?
- Get another one?
- How inconvenient / costly is keeping it?
Only keep it if…
- You’re genuinely likely to need it
- There are no alternatives
- The cost of replacement is significantly higher than the inconvenience of keeping it
Type 3: Things that are waiting to be put away
- If they have a home, put them away. If they don’t, find one.
Type 4: Things that are duplicates of other things
- Pick the best one, get rid of the other one.
Type 5: Things that need a decision
Ask yourself…
- Do you have the information you need to decide?
- If so, make it.
- Is there something you can do to get that information?
- If not, just decide anyway.
- Could you get that information now?
- If so, get it and decide.
If you still haven’t decided, schedule a time to get the information you need, and make it then.
Type 6: Things that are broken
Ask yourself…
- Do you really need it? (See type 2)
- Which is the bigger problem: the time, cost and inconvenience of the repair, or the time, cost and inconvenience of getting a replacement?
- Do you need to fix it yourself, or could someone else do it for you?
Based on your answers, either dispose of it, replace it, or schedule time to fix it.
Type 7: Things that belong to incomplete (or not started) projects
Ask yourself…
- Is the project still valuable to you? Really? More than other things you want to do?
- Can you schedule time to finish the project?
- If you get rid of this stuff now, could you replace it when you need it?