Holiday Weekend Clutter-Busting

March of Trash, day 25

Today is the first day of a holiday weekend for many of us. The holiday can have different implications for different clutter-busters. Here a few suggestions for some of the most common situations:

• If you’ll be away from home, notice the feeling of relief that comes from being away from your clutter. This may inspire you to reduce the load of clutter after you return home. Later, if you have an hour to spare on your trip home, take the time to make sure you’re not bringing any new clutter home.
• If you’ll have someone helping you with your clutter for a few hours, be gracious and make good use of the help. A person with an outside perspective can help you see your things in a different light and may help you find the courage to change. Don’t squander this opportunity by putting your helper in the position of defending the status quo.
• If you have a chance to help someone else with their clutter, it gives you an opportunity to see how easily everyone, including you, makes mistakes about the value of their stuff. Clutter-busting can be stressful, so don’t expect the person you’re helping to make rational evaluations every minute, but try to steer them in that direction. Also, try not to see this situation as an opportunity to take more clutter home for yourself.
• If the weekend gives you nothing else to do but clutter-busting, be sure to pace yourself so you can maintain a useful level of energy throughout the weekend. One key to maintaining your energy during all-day clutter-busting is to wear a dust mask. The dust that can accumulate in your lungs over the course of a whole day down in the clutter can take a lot out of you, with a greater impact than you would expect from such a lightweight material. Shift your focus from time to time, for example, by going from one room to the next, in order to keep a fresh perspective.