First comes SORT. Next comes TOSS.
The key is ONE question at a time and one decision at a time!
The TOSS (the letting go) is the most loaded step of clutter clearing and organizing. If we could do it easily then the piles of stuff wouldn’t be filling up our space. It is often the emotional attachment with the stuff, the story it tells, and the overwhelm of just too much everywhere that keeps us procrastinating going through it.
Here are some of the struggles we hear all the time. I can go through other people’s stuff but not my own. Why is it so hard? I get stuck as soon as I start going through it, especially if I’m touching it. It is overwhelming – I don’t know where to start. My basement is full of my mother’s things. HELP!!
This is why we love the system of S.T.A.C.K.S. © for getting through the stuff. Remember, in the blog Sort First. Toss Later. you were asked to sort first so you can see what you have. The steps of S.T.A.C.K.S. © build upon each other. In the SORT step you are only asking what is it? When you are done you have a clear picture of how much you have – how many months worth of electric bills, how many of the same black shirt, how many pens & pencils, or the same garden tool. Now the TOSS step is easier.
S.T.A.C.K.S.© – Sort, Toss, Assign, Contain, Keep it up, Simplify
TOSS – here is more guidance:
Question: Do I need it or want it? It is amazing how often we keep things we don’t even want or need.- Power Question: Does this item support my vision for this space and this time in my life? Honor the chapter you are in!
- Action: Put it in the keep or discard pile. If using bankers boxes then leave the item in the box and have bags/boxes ready for the give-away, shred, garbage, elsewhere toss categories so it goes quickly.
- Tip: Remember you used bankers boxes in the sort so just take ONE box at a time when going through the toss. This will save you from distractions and confusion.
- Reward: You will get through the toss quicker and with less energy. What you have left is what needs to be organized.
By asking just one question and making only one decision at a time, you WILL be able to get through all of the stuff. And you are still not asking where it will go or what it will go in. Those steps are ahead.
We want to be clear that we know with every fiber of our beings just how loaded the Toss step can be. It is SO loaded that Marla wrote a simple, yet powerhouse little guide called The ART of Letting Go. Please download this free gift and share it with anyone you feel may benefit.
Stay tuned in upcoming weeks as we continue through the S.T.A.C.K.S. © process.
Download our Systems Card as a companion guide to SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. © and S.T.A.C.K.S. ©.
With you each step of the way,
Marla, Kate & Team
