16 Nov 2012

The trick to de-cluttering

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Discardia: a day set aside for de-cluttering. Seriously. Lissane Oliver, de-cluttering and organisational guru, knows how hard is it to make time to throw stuff out. Her solution – lock it in, like a holiday.

Everyday health

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Discardia: a day set aside for de-cluttering. Seriously. Lissane Oliver, de-cluttering and organisational guru, knows how hard is it to make time to throw stuff out. Her solution – lock it in, like a holiday.

“People say, ‘I’m a hoarder!’ And I say, “No you’re not, you just haven’t made time to make good decisions about your stuff,” says the peppy Melbournite in a workshop at this year’s Happiness and Its Causes conference.

Audience member, Deanna, pipes up: “Discardia is [a time for] letting go of what doesn’t add value to your life – whether it’s a physical object, a habit, or emotional baggage – then replacing it with what makes your world more awesome.”

(I like it. I am already seeing discardia days scheduled into my diary for the first weekend of every season.)

Here’s a running sheet of what to do on your discardia day/weekend, says Oliver:

1. Start by defining what is and isn’t clutter – it’ll make your decisions easier. Her definitions:

Anything you don’t love, use or need
Deferred decisions
Anything that doesn’t add value

2. When your ready to start, begin with ‘primary’ areas, then move onto ‘secondary’ and ‘tertiary’ zones

Primary: desks and flat surfaces that attract junk
Secondary: shelves and drawers where things get stashed away
Tertiary: spaces where things really get stashed away/forgotten about – think out-of-the-way high or cupboards

Keep versatile items that do more than one job. Like shelves that hold CDs and well as books (not a CD rack on its own), and dishes that serve more than one purpose.

3. Commit to not buying books (I cannot do this, but maybe you’re braver than me?). Instead, pop into your local library on the day/weekend and get your fill there. This’ll save you clutter and cash.

4. When you’re ready to turf your pile of de-cluttered gear, run it up to Vinnies or the Salvos, or check out freecycle.com – a website that links unwanted things with people on the hunt for second-hand stuff. Brilliant idea!

What’s your number one de-cluttering tip?

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