Knowing why you’re hanging onto things helps you determines their necessity in your life.
Unless you’re a minimalist, chances are you own more than you need. Your home and workspace are filled to the brim with projects you haven’t gotten to and things that you can’t allow yourself to let go of. Taking a long, hard look at your clutter helps you determine what needs to stay and what needs to go.
When tackling the difficult task of organizing a space, there are some questions you’ll want to ask yourself. Refer to them often as they help you determine the importance of items inside your house or workplace.
Do I really need this item?
If it is something that you use regularly, the answer is “Yes, you need it.”
Why is it where it is now?
Has an item been temporarily moved to another location? If it isn’t where it belongs, why is that?
Is there another place it can go for now?
Does the item belong in another location? Is it easily accessible so you can use it when you need to?
Do I love it?
Is the item something that improves the quality of your life, gives you joy or is a cherished heirloom passed down from a family member?
Once you’ve gone through your list of questions, you’ll be better able to determine what to keep and what to get rid of. After all, some items are here to stay. Others need to be moved to a different location, so they’re better contained.
One thing you can do is to place all papers that you need to access quickly in a BinderBag Backpack, Messenger bag or Sleeve for safekeeping. You’ll need to punch holes in the sheets of paper for them to fit in your two-inch to a four-inch binder. Once you’ve done that, however, you’ll have created yet another system that helps you deal with your clutter more effectively.