“Sometime,” “… when I’ve used it as much as I can,” “… when it’s no longer necessary.” We’ve talked about these, and they are all too vague. They just don’t work as criteria for disposal.
On the other hand, “… after three years,” “… when I’ve used it once,” “… if I buy a new one”—these are much clearer. Using periods of time, number of uses, etc., leaves no room for emotion and so facilitates quick, clear decisions.
1. Decide on an amount
2. Decide on a time period
3. Decide on a number of times
4. Discard when you buy a new one
5. Have clear criteria for specific types of items
6. Review existing criteria
Establishing an amount as a basis for disposal was discussed under Strategy 3 (see here for further details relating to particular items).
You should set a maximum amount of space (a particular closet, box, etc.) to allocate for different types of item. When clothes start poking out of the dresser, for example, then you should be thinking about disposal.
Alternatively, instead of space, you could think in terms of numbers of items. For example, you may decide to have three pans—one large, one medium, one small. If there’s any more than that, get rid of the surplus.
This approach was discussed under Strategy 4 (see here), whereby items are disposed of when the period elapses. This is obviously very suitable for things that are only used for a limited time, such as manuals, etc. It can work well for other documents too—the time period will allow you to judge whether the documents are necessary or not.
The first step is to acknowledge that things have a limited period of usefulness.
This was discussed under Strategy 6 (see here): instead of thinking you have to use an item until it gives out, decide on the number of times you should use it. When you reach that point, you can dispose of it. For many items “once” may be an effective basis. Free hand towels or T-shirts, hotel toothbrushes and combs, product samples, etc.—tell yourself that you can dispose of such things after just one use.
This is similar to fixing an amount. When you replace an item—TV, mobile phone, PC, briefcase, mug—dispose of the old one immediately. You had the right number until now, so unless you discard the old one, you’ll have more than necessary.
Things like clothes, crockery, and magazines accumulate quickly, but aren’t easy to throw away. It’s tedious to go through them and decide what to keep and what to dispose of. So it’s best to set clear criteria by type, so that you can decide straight away. If your box of shopping bags is overflowing, then tell yourself, for example, that you will keep all branded bags and throw away all department store bags. To control accumulation of drinking glasses you’ve been given, you could decide to throw away all those that carry a company’s logo. Magazines pile up quickly; you might decide to keep National Geographic for its beautiful pictures, say, but discard all others after a specific period of time.
There must be no ambiguity in the disposal criteria. As soon as you see the objects, you should be able to decide whether they meet the criteria or not. And be careful not to give special treatment to items “for guests” or items which are part of a set.
Everybody already has some kind of vague disposal criteria. But if things have been accumulating, then these are clearly not effective, so you need to rethink them. Just becoming more conscious of what your existing criteria are will be a good first step.
Simple criteria like “I’ll throw out any clothes that no longer fit” or “I only need three pots—small, medium, and large” are enough to keep you on top of things. Vague and complex criteria make decisions tedious and difficult, and the purpose of this strategy is to eliminate this kind of problem.
When discarding something that can still be used, remind yourself of your commitment to your criteria. This may help you not to feel guilty.