How to Throw Away the Right Stuff: The Cure for Hoarding Part 1

Pack Rate Disease (PRD) is an equal-opportunity affliction. Young or old, rich or poor, at some point we’ve all struggled with the primary symptom of PRD: the inability to throw away stuff.

We’ve got completely justifiable reasons for keeping stuff: “It’s still good,” “It still works,” and the killer motive for keeping even the most ridiculous stuff: “I might want to use this someday.” However, there does come a point at which you’ve got to deal with all the stuff you’ve kept. Maybe it’s a move to a new place or finally taking over the youngest daughter’s room now that she’s been married for three years, has two kids of her own, and likely won’t be coming back to live in the room that looks like a college kid just walked out of it yesterday.

When your closets, basement, garage, attic, and spare room are bursting with boxes, bags, suitcases, foot lockers, and even that old army duffel bag, filled with whatever it is that’s in them, it’s time to face facts: you’ve got to start throwing stuff away. Where do you start? How do you decide what you simply must keep? And what do you do with the stuff that you are going to get rid of?

If you haven’t got a clue and are about to give up and accept the fact that your PRD is incurable, then check out these tips and ideas for how to deal with all that stuff. You might just find that you can be cured.

Should I Keep It?

The best way to attack the problem of deciding what stuff to toss is to determine what your criteria will be for keeping stuff- ask yourself these questions (and answer them honestly):

· How long has it been since I even thought about this?

· How long has it been since I used this?

· If I needed it tomorrow, would I be willing to dig out this old one and use it?

· If I needed it tomorrow, would I be more likely to just buy a new one?

· If I needed it tomorrow, and it is too expensive to buy, can I rent it or borrow it from a neighbor?

· Do I remember how this works?

· Do I have all the parts, pieces, and most important, the manual that explains how it goes together?

· How likely is it that I’m ever again really going to want to use it, wear it, play with it, or exercise with it?

If your answers were something like…

· I can’t remember.

· I can’t remember.

· Probably not.

· Probably.

· Probably.

· Nope, haven’t got a clue.

· There was a manual that went with this?

· Not bloody likely.

…then you need to get rid of it. Don’t look back. Don’t think twice. Two years from now, you’ll forget that you ever had it to begin with, let alone remember that you got rid of it. Come back tomorrow for part 2!

In our ongoing effort to organize our lives and in turn organize your life, we are continuing our series on Getting Organized!