I searched Google for a strategy to reduce the amount of clutter in my home. Christine Satterfield lists ten steps on her blog entry 10 Foolproof Ways to Reduce Clutter. This is the list, read the article for details.

• Don’t keep it just because it’s sentimental.
• Donate on a regular basis.
• Sell things you don’t need and make some extra cash in the process.
• Don’t go shopping.
• Use what you have.
• Implement a trial period mentality.
• Keep a gift list.
• One thing in, One thing out.
• See your “valuables” through someone else’s eyes.
• Get a new perspective.

The Problem

My dad was a collector of stuff. Our cellar was a museum of old tools, plexiglass, odds and ends of wood and tons of fishing lures. I had a few bottles of sulfuric acid and other chemicals. Also a tesla coil and cow bones. It was an eclectic mix of science and oddities. My mother is a minimalist, who likes organization and neatness. I have inherited none of her qualities. My sisters share my malady. We save stuff for sentimental reasons, clothing that we may fit into again, materials for projects and raw materials for future “projects” which never materialize.

Examples

I liked to work with plastic models in my preteen years. I glued together this skull when I was probably 13 or 14. It used to have a rubber brain that fit inside and a skull cap. The question one needs to ask is why do I still have it as a 72 year old?

I collected a few books from right-wing authors to give away as jokes to my liberal friends. These things take up space and I’d rather not have them around.

The Solution

My sister came up with a strategy she calls the “Ten Minute Tackle”. The idea is too spend at least ten minutes a day sorting, discarding, selling or donating our clutter. I’m starting with books. These boxes are going to a church book sale.