The Discarding Day

Going cabin crazy yet?  It's a real thing here in snowy, northern Wisconsin where I live. Every winter I read in the newspaper about some guy going cabin crazy and hacking up his wife and sticking her in the freezer or some such horror.  No lie.

I always wonder what living in their house was like?

I imagine there was a lot of clutter.

It's touted that living in clutter can be disturbing, but will it lead you to kill someone? Probably not, but for some of us it does have serious psychological ramifications.  This article in Psychology Today by Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D says it best. 

"Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed."

I don't know about you, but I'd rather feel calm, empowered and joyful as I go about my day.

So what can be done?  Once a week, hold a Discarding Day.  

Pick a day, put it on your calendar repeating for the entire year.  When that day arrives, pick one type of item from the following list to discard and go to it.  

At the end of the year, you'll have discarded 52 types of items in your home and it will only have taken you minutes each week.  

It goes fast.  Promise.

The Discarding Day List*

1. Phonebooks
2. Old condiment packets
3. Old maps
4. Old fire extinguishers
5. Manuals to items you no longer own
6. Bags you no longer use (tote bags, plastic grocery bags, purses etc.)
7. Old hair accessories
8. Old dish sponge
9. Broken flashlights
10. Expired canned food
11. Old pillows
12. Newspapers, magazines and books never read
13. Old sunscreen
14. Broken umbrellas
15. Puzzles with missing pieces
16. Scarves never worn
17. Junk mail
18. Gifts you don't like
19. Suitcases you no longer use
20. Your toothbrush (buy new)
21. Expired coupons
22. Old greenting, holday and birthday cards
23. Old pots and pans 
24. Clothes you've never worn
25. Broken jewelry
26. Old bed linens
27. Dead batteries (dispose of properly)
28. Candle holders
29. Recipe books never used
30. Worn out shoes
31. Mismatched plastic containers
32. Ink-less markers
33. Gifts/letters your ex gave you
34. Trial sized cosmetics/hotel samples
35. Games you never play
36. Wire or dry cleaning hangers
37. Old electronic cords/accessories
38. Old children's artwork
39. Old undergarments
40. Broken glasses/sunglasses
41. Broken items you'll never fix
42. Old phones/phone cases/phone accessories
43. Outgrown baby/kid clothes
44. Unused wedding gifts
45. Old schoolwork papers
46. Perfume/colonge you don't like
47. Broken crayons
48. Scraps of wrapping paper/ribbons/bows
49. Expired make-up
50. Old spices
51. Unmatched and holey socks
52. Torn towels

*This list was adapted from here

Now that's what I call, PROGRESS.

Quick, start today!  Choose peace, calmness and joy.  I don't want to read about you in the newspaper.

Is anyone's clutter making you crazy?

What's the first thing you'll discard from the list?