I have way too much stuff. This has always been the case. I had hoped that, between moving to Japan and moving back, the stuff-valanche would somehow sort itself out, but it didn't. Just looking around the room I'm in, I can see shirts I haven't worn in years, folders full of miscellaneous papers from grad school, a broken wireless mouse, a box full of worn out shoes... That's barely getting started.
The thing is, I don't tend to save new stuff anymore. I thought that was the end of it, but I was wrong. The packrat urges are still alive and well, and as a result, I'm keeping lots of old stuff that I really have no business keeping. Obviously, packrat rehab is in order.
I remember Kaleena writing about a hanger trick for clearing out your closet (turning all the hangers around and turning them back to the regular direction when you used the item in question). That's a good idea. I'll assemble a few other tricks, and let you know how it all turns out.
Pack away the seasonal items, and sort through them in their season. Otherwise the entire collection may end up feeling overwhelming. The hanger trick is wonderful, but assumes that at one point everything is clean and hung up as a starting point. As far as broken items, just get rid of them. I know it is sometimes cool to hang on to things, or the voice in my head starts reminding me of all the cool projects something can be used for, but if it is broken just get rid of it in order to de-cluterize the horde.
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