Thursday, June 12, 2008

Organizing experts Julie Morgenstern and Peter Walsh

Organizing experts Julie Morgenstern and Peter Walsh each have their own approaches to decluttering.
Here are a few of their tips figuring out what to keep and what to toss:

1. Define your vision
Peter Walsh, author of the bestselling "It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff". The starting point has to be, 'What is the vision you have for the life you want?

2. Define the clutter
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", Morgenstern says.

3. Start small
Every once in a while you will be overcome with thoughts of "what if I really need that later?" If that happens, just take a deep breath, remember your goal and keep going. "Keep in mind that if you aren't careful, what you own will end up owning you," says Walsh.

4. Let your good riddance help others
You can even take a tax deuction if you itemize

5. Examine all aspects of your life for clutter.
"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," Walsh says.