Word: morgenstern
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...Examine all aspects of your life for clutter Morgenstern points out that poor uses of time, outdated commitments and bad habits can all be defined as clutter and are worthy of purging. Walsh makes the case for a strong mind-home-body connection in his latest bestseller, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? "If you think about it, the reasons why a lot of people buy stuff are exactly the same reasons why a lot of people run out and eat inappropriate food-to make themselves feel better," he says. "The parallels are amazing. Our homes, heads...
...biggest challenge, of course, is simply getting started. Organizing experts Julie Morgenstern and Peter Walsh each have their own approaches to decluttering, but they agree that the key to a successful purge is defining what your ideal life should look like and then deciding which of your belongings still fits in the picture. Both are also trying to draw attention to different kinds of clutter: physical, emotional, even temporal clutter. Some stuff keeps you stuck in the past and I-might-need-it-some-day clutter keeps you from focusing on the present. Here are a few of their tips...
...Define your vision In her new book When Organizing Isn't Enough, SHED your Stuff, Change Your Life, Morgenstern advises people looking to declutter to come up with a theme. "No one lets go without reaching for something else," she says. "You need to come up with a theme for the next phase of your life. Giving a name to what you want to do or feel or express will help dislodge you from your current state of stagnancy." Some common themes are creating a nurturing home, striving for career excellence, and focusing on self-expression and enrichment. Walsh agrees...
...Define the clutter Once you have your vision or theme, separating the treasures from trash should be a little easier. Ask yourself: does this item help me get there? What doesn't fit gets purged. Morgenstern emphasizes that clutter doesn't have to be messy. "A perfectly organized closet or drawer is clutter if it is filled with clothes that you haven't worn for years," she says. And clutter doesn't have to be made of stuff. "It can be any obsolete object, space, commitment or behavior that weighs you down or distracts you or saps your energy...
...Start small Purging can be very emotional. "It's a big mistake to dismiss clutter as junk," says Morgenstern. "These piles are things that were once important to you, to who you once were or who you wanted to be." To help ease you into the process, she suggests starting in the room you are least attached to. If books are your great love-and clutter weakness-don't start your purging project by the bookcases. Move to a less emotional area, like the kitchen or hall closet. Once you are successful in those parts of the house...