| I devised this exercise after I was incapacitated by a | | | | piece. Is it something you use often? If it's a book, |
| pulmonary embolism following a fall. I hadn't realised it | | | | do you refer to it, will you read it again? A tape or |
| was that easy to die and I was in shock for some | | | | CD? When did you last play it? An item of clothing? |
| time afterwards, unable to do anything useful except | | | | Does it fit? Do you wear it? Are you hanging onto it |
| write.The thing uppermost in my mind was the | | | | in the hope that one day you'll drop a couple of dress |
| thought that, had I indeed breathed my last, it would | | | | sizes -- might it not be out of fashion by then?If it's |
| have been up to my sons to sort through everything | | | | a piece of kitchen equipment when did you last use |
| I'd left behind -- and that wasn't a comfortable | | | | it? Are you keeping it because you all might get |
| feeling. How could I do that to anyone, leave them | | | | together one day for a huge family christening, even |
| to deal with a large house full of stuff that might | | | | though the children are barely out of nappies? If it's |
| have been vitally important to me but to them would | | | | an old bill or a guarantee are you confident you won't |
| have been just a vast pile of stuff to sort and bin or | | | | need it again? With each item ask yourself 'is it |
| recycle.You're going to need a large sheet of paper -- | | | | relevant to my life now, does it support who I am |
| preferably flip chart sized, if you have it -- a pencil or | | | | and who I want to be?'Now do you see why you |
| pen and some blu-tac. But, in the interests of having | | | | have to do this in bite-sized pieces? Some decisions |
| as much fun as possible, why not get yourself a | | | | will be really easy, as in 'Why on earth did I hang |
| lovely set of colourful pens and get in touch with | | | | onto a book that I never read in the first place |
| your creativity?You're also going to need at least 30 | | | | because it was so boring?' But others are going to be |
| uninterrupted minutes to begin with -- it's up to you | | | | hard. You're going to have to be really courageous |
| how you work through this planning stage, whether | | | | and occasionally you may put something back |
| in one blast or broken down into bite-sized pieces. | | | | because, though in your heart of hearts you know |
| Done conscientiously, this exercise is going to change | | | | you should part with it, you simply can't bear to. |
| your life, forever, so you're going to need to pace | | | | That's fine. This isn't meant to be torture. Put it back |
| yourself to deal not only with the practicalities but | | | | until the next time and move on.A word of warning: |
| also with the emotional stuff that it brings up. If | | | | DON'T go through your home like a tornado, |
| you've been living in chaos for any length of time | | | | throwing stuff out here, there and everywhere -- |
| you're going to have to do some hard work to turn | | | | only to bitterly regret what you've done once it's all |
| things around. But it's going to be hard work that's | | | | gone. (And of course it goes without saying that it's |
| hugely rewarding, I promise you.Stage 1 | | | | not okay to get rid of anyone else's stuff without |
| Sit down somewhere comfortable and start to | | | | their say so.) This exercise takes time and thought |
| picture in your mind each room in your home. Start | | | | and patience. It may take a year to complete and |
| with the easy ones -- bedrooms, living room, kitchen | | | | that's fine -- the results are going to benefit you for |
| -- but don't miss out those areas that don't quite fit | | | | the rest of your life.Years ago when I left my |
| anywhere else -- porch, under the stairs -- and don't | | | | marriage I carted loads of stuff around the |
| forget the attic, cellar, garage and garden shed.Now | | | | countryside with me for three house moves before I |
| take your piece of paper and draw a shape for each | | | | finally let go of it all. In the end I realised it was more |
| separate area, roughly in proportion to the contents, | | | | to do with some vague sense of security than |
| leaving the minimum possible space between each so | | | | anything to do with the things themselves. Gradually, |
| you're utilising the whole page.Be creative -- don't just | | | | as my confidence grew, I realised I didn't need that |
| draw boring boxes. How about a fluffy cloud for | | | | stuff any more.These days, having devised the |
| each? Or a flower? A different colour for every | | | | exercise and actually practised it myself, I find it |
| room? You can start with a rough draft if you like | | | | really easy not to accumulate things in the first place |
| until you're satisfied with the lay-out. This master plan | | | | and I welcome the charity bags put through my |
| is going to live with you for a while to come so make | | | | letter box because there's always a few things on |
| it as beautiful as you can.When you're satisfied | | | | their way out. But I wasn't always like that. I simply |
| you've put down every individual area and named it | | | | discovered how liberating it is to be free of all that |
| give yourself a pat on the back. If you want you can | | | | extraneous stuff that just needs to be dusted, or |
| stop for now and come back to it later, safe in the | | | | insured or moved when you decorate or someone |
| knowledge that you've started the process. In the | | | | comes to stay. And to be free of the anxiety of |
| meantime take your embryonic plan and stick it up | | | | who would be left to deal with it.So, now you've |
| somewhere where you can see it -- on a wall, a | | | | finished with that first shelf or drawer you can go to |
| door, anywhere where it won't get forgotten, where | | | | your plan, take a fat coloured pen and cross it off |
| you'll pass it several times a day so your | | | | the list or put a big tick beside it. It's done and when |
| subconscious mind will be starting to work for you on | | | | you feel ready you can move on to the next task, |
| the process of de-cluttering your life. And put a note | | | | until gradually the whole plan will be a mass of ticks |
| in your diary or on your calendar for when you're | | | | or crossings out -- and won't you feel fantastic |
| going to resume work on your project.Stage 2 | | | | then?So what are you going to do with the stuff |
| Sit down somewhere comfortable again and picture | | | | you're going to get rid of? These days there are so |
| in your mind's eye, one by one, each room you've | | | | many opportunities. There's the aforementioned |
| drafted out on your sheet. Let's start with a | | | | charity bags -- though we can't feel as smug about |
| bedroom. What furniture is in it? A wardrobe? A | | | | recycling clothes as we might once have done, now |
| chest of drawers? Write them down as headings. | | | | it emerges that the clothing trade in developing |
| Now break down each of these in effect into their | | | | countries is being badly damaged by the West |
| constituent parts so, for example, with the wardrobe | | | | dumping our waste on them. So I guess worn clothes |
| you might note down 'hanging area', 'top shelf', | | | | have to go in the bin, or be turned into dusters, but |
| 'bottom shelf' (or space), or you might choose to | | | | good, saleable ones can be offered to clothing |
| write 'shelf 1, 2, 3' etc.You may have a bedside | | | | agencies or charity shops or sold on e-Bay, as can a |
| cabinet with two shelves -- note them down. A chair | | | | whole host of other items. Freecycle, if there's a |
| piled high with clothes? The aim is to itemise shelves | | | | group near you, is another opportunity that's |
| and drawers that hold 'stuff' rather than pieces of | | | | gathering momentum where you can give away |
| furniture but how about you start to change your | | | | useable items you no longer want. In my home town |
| ways right now and put the clothes you've worn into | | | | of Lancaster we have Furniture Matters, a local |
| the wash basket and the clean ones where they | | | | authority sponsored charity that recycles suitable |
| belong -- and you could even devise a mantra for | | | | furniture and white goods and, in addition, trains |
| yourself, an affirmation such as 'I am a tidy and | | | | young people in furniture renovation and refurbishing |
| organised person.' Repeat it as often as you can -- at | | | | skills. Recycling is seriously in vogue now so there's |
| least 20 times a day -- and once more your | | | | never been a better time to be really creative about |
| subconscious mind will go to work and that will have | | | | getting rid of your unwanted stuff.Stage 4 |
| a big impact on the process.Once you've noted down | | | | You've sorted your home from top to bottom and |
| every individual area containing 'stuff' -- and don't | | | | become positively minimalist in the process. Now how |
| forget surfaces like 'dressing table top' -- you might | | | | are you going to guard against ever slipping back to |
| want physically to go to the relevant room and | | | | how things were?The best way is to have a regular |
| check you haven't missed anything.Planning is crucial | | | | review. It could be annual or it could be more |
| to bringing about change and once you've completed | | | | frequent. Decide what works best for you and put it |
| your plan you're well on the way -- in fact I would | | | | in your diary or on your calendar. That way you don't |
| recommend at this stage that you give yourself a | | | | have to bother remembering -- it'll be there, factored |
| treat, to reward yourself for your hard work. And it | | | | into your life. I used to have an annual review of |
| is hard work. By now you have completed something | | | | how my life was going though I've now amended |
| much greater than simply devising your plan, | | | | that to a quarterly one, timetabled into my diary. But |
| something absolutely vital -- you have confronted the | | | | in fact this exercise has actually become a way of |
| reality of what you're trying to achieve and that can | | | | life for me. These days I sort and chuck with hardly |
| be hugely challenging. But take heart. The rewards | | | | a thought -- and I'm confident that, should that |
| are enormous.Stage 3 | | | | double-decker bus catch up with me any day soon, |
| Now you're ready for the next stage -- actually | | | | there'll be a lot less clutter to be dealt with |
| sorting through things. Again, try to do this in a way | | | | afterwards.This exercise isn't an instant cure-all, a |
| that works for you. You can start logically from the | | | | swift one-off -- it's more along the lines of painting |
| top left hand corner of your plan or you can select | | | | the Forth Bridge, an on-going process to incorporate |
| something at random, as the spirit moves you. But to | | | | into your life so it becomes second nature, a way of |
| start with select one small shelf or drawer.Take | | | | ensuring you never again feel overwhelmed by your |
| everything off it or out of it and examine it piece by | | | | clutter. |