Deciding
How
to
Purge
Clutter
Despite
Obstacles
Imagine
walking
into
a
home
where
you
could
not
see
a
speck
of
floor
because
each
room
was
filled
to
the
gills
with
boxes,
papers,
and
other
possessions.
This
was
the
case
when
I
first
walked
into
my
client
Karen’s
home
two
years
ago.
Karen
began
“hoarding”
items
as
a
source
of
comfort
and
literally
became
“locked
in”
one
room
of
her
home
for
an
entire
year.
I
have
had
the
pleasure
of
working
closely
with
Karen
to
get
her
house
back
in
order.
Today,
she
is
a
whole
new
person
and
her
house
is
a
home
again.
She
walks
around
her
home
with
ease;
she
no
longer
flinches
when
the
doorbell
rings
unexpectedly;
she
entertains
people
at
home;
she’s
on
the
board
of
her
homeowners
association;
she
has
gone
back
to
school;
and
she
keeps
an
organized
home.
As
was
the
case
with
Karen,
people
dealing
with
Chronic
Disorganization
and
Attention
Deficit
Disorder
(ADD)
can
have
a
harder
time
making
decisions
especially
when
it
comes
time
to
staying
organized
or
purging
clutter.
Since
one
of
the
keys
to
being
organized
and
productive
is
the
ability
to
make
quick
and
firm
decisions,
this
can
cause
real
problems
for
these
individuals.
However,
this
doesn’t
mean
that
decisions
can’t
be
made
or
that
you
won’t
succeed
in
staying
organized.
It
is
a
matter
of
understanding
your
obstacles
and
learning
how
to
deal
with
them
so
that
you
can
still
accomplish
what
you
set
out
to
do.
Because
effective
decision
making
requires
certain
key
skills—sorting,
prioritizing,
comparing
and
weighing
alternatives—our
ability
to
make
decisions
can
easily
be
compromised
by
outside
influences.
These
can
range
from
stress,
tiredness,
hunger,
time
of
day,
need
for
medications,
and
emotional
attachments
or
neurological
issues.
It
is
important
to
think
about
these
factors
when
deciding
the
best
time
to
purge,
organize
and
make
other
important
decisions.
The
following
are
some
ways
the
decision-making
process
can
be
easier
when
it
comes
to
getting
rid
of
items
you
no
longer
need
or
want.
•
Assign
areas
for
piles.
You
will
need
a
“keep,”
“discard,”
and
“maybe”
pile.
Use
a
thick
and
strong
garbage
bag
for
your
discard
pile
so
that
you
can
immediately
seal
up
the
bag
and
not
second
guess
getting
rid
of
the
contents.
•
Look
at
one
thing
at
a
time
to
choose.
If
you
start
with
a
closet,
then
pull
out
each
article
of
clothing
on
a
hanger.
After
that,
move
to
your
shoes
and
then
to
the
shelves
looking
at
each
item
individually.
Move
as
quickly
as
you
can.
•
Consider
a
professional
organizer.
A
professional
organizer
can
guide
you
through
the
decision-making
process
and
keep
you
on
track.
Need
some
help
making
quick
decisions?
Here
are
a
few
“tricks”
that
will
also
enable
you
to
have
fun
and
be
creative
with
an
otherwise,
potentially
difficult
task:
Kristin
White
del
Rosso,
President
of
Pea
Organizing
Services,
Inc.
is
a
professional
organizing
consultant,
who
has
been
awarded
designation
as
the
first
to
be
OMI-Certified
in
the
area
of
professional
organizing
in
North
and
South
Carolina.
She
is
a
member
of
the
NAPO
Golden
Circle,
a
Certified
Member
of
the
International
Association
of
Professional
Organizers
(IAPO)
and
a
Certified
Productivity
Trainer
and
Authorized
Consultant
(PTAC™)
from
the
Hemphill
Productivity
Institute.
She
has
also
earned
a
Certificate
of
Study
in
Basic
Attention
Deficit
Disorder
(ADD)
Issues,
a
Certificate
of
Study
in
Chronic
Disorganization,
and
a
Certificate
of
Study
in
Learning
Styles
and
Modalities
from
the
National
Study
Group
of
Chronic
Disorganization
(NSGCD).
