Dejunk Your Life

If you feel surrounded and stressed out by clutter, you’re not alone. The average household accumulates 300 pages of paper a day, and contains 25% more furniture and 75% more toys than it needs. The solution isn’t to organize - it’s to give it or throw it away. Here’s how.

1. Start small - go through one closet or shelf.
2. Get tough when deciding what to keep.
3. Go through your mail daily standing by the recycling bin. Toss what you’ll never read.
4. Set a limit on saving bags, food containers and boxes. Ten yogurt containers is reasonable - fifty is not.
5. Tear out just the pages you are interested in from magazines.
6. Get rid of two old garments, shoes, kitchen gadgets, books, music recordings and toys every time you buy a new one.
7. Sentimental? Save just the scout badges rather than the whole uniform, the yearbook instead of everyone’s school photo.

Source:  Healthy hints: the 7 step guide to dejunking your home. (1999 Spring).  Health Diary, 4.