Rid Your Office Or Your Classroom of Clutter – But What If I Need it Someday?
Sometimes when you are doing your serious de-cluttering, a little voice starts bothering you with this thought: “As sure as I throw this away, I’ll need it.”
Is that true and should you worry about that?
No. No need to worry about this. The reality is that 1 out of 1000 (or more) times, you might need it again. But unless the item will actually change your life, then I recommend getting rid of it. However….
If you are so hung up with the thought of ‘But I might need this again…’ that you can’t even move forward on your journey toward clutter-freedom, then you should have a container labeled “But I Might.”
“But I might…” Let’s think about what this container is for. It is usually some kind of box that you label with the date one year hence. Remember – if you don’t need this box, then don’t create it. Sometimes I will tell people that it’s for the “scaredy-cats.” With that being said, if you decide to use this box, here’s how to use it:
- Mark the box with a date that is one year from the day you are doing your de-cluttering.
- Put everything in that box that you think, ‘But I might…’ (although PLEASE don’t use it as a catch-all to avoid making the decisions you need to be making).
- When you are finished with your de-cluttering project, put the box away…and by ‘away,’ I mean AWAY! Put it in the attic, basement, storage shed, or somewhere else that it is not in the way.
- Then, if the next time you see that box and the date has passed (which means you haven’t had to dig into it for at least a year), then toss it – without looking in it!
Here are the kinds of items that might go into the “But I might…” container:
- A unit on the eyeball that you used to love to teach but is no longer in your grade’s curriculum,
- Several letters from a student’s mother,
- Transparencies that are now redone as PowerPoint slides on your laptop,
- All the data from your dissertation (which you’ve been keeping “just in case” the university contacts you to “prove” you did your study; your doctorate was granted 9 years ago),
- Other such paraphernalia.
As mentioned earlier in the post, if you don’t need this box, then don’t create it. Many people, once they begin de-cluttering, realize that their fear of “well, I just might need this” is an absurd fear and is holding them back from tossing. Get moving and get closer to ‘clutter-freedom.’
And you are invited to access the free full-color Special Report, *Rid Your Office (and/or Your Classroom) to Increase Your Sense of Peaceful Productivity,* by going to ** http://meggin.com/downloads.php where you can download it.
This Special Report will give you (and others with whom you work) suggestions and motivation to start de-cluttering your workspace (and even your home).
© 2009 Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., The Ph.D. of Productivity(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin works with those who want to know, feel, dream, and do more – and who want to do so with clarity, conviction, and consciousness. It’s a blast. Learn more at http://www.meggin.com
Tags: classroom, closet, clutter, de-cluttering, declutter, organized, worry
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