Haul in the Dumpster: I need to DeClutter My Mind, My House, My Car...

by Pam Hillman

Our houses are filled with clutter. Our cars look like dumpsters, our computers are fragmented. And don't even get me started talking about our minds!

Decluttering sounds easy, but when our time is even more cluttered than everything else, how do we get a grip on it all?

Let’s start at the end of that list. It seems to me that our minds get cluttered—fragmented—when our STUFF is cluttered. We become sluggish. We can’t find anything, and we become frustrated. But once we declutter our surroundings, we become more efficient, and our stress level goes down. So, the less clutter in our material world, the less clutter in our brains.

Janet Dean agrees with me. “I can’t relax in clutter. I can’t abide littered tables. If a picture is hanging askew or the sofa pillows are in disarray, I must straighten them.”

I knew that woman was smart! But who has time to declutter?

Small Bites

Mary Connealy says, “I look at clutter and see BIG things I don't know what to do with or that aren't mine...and I get frustrated and quit.”

So, start small. Look for only the mess that is your fault. Get your stuff under control. Own your own part of the problem and leave nagging your husband (and kids) to get rid of their junk after all your stuff is handled. Way to often, when I ignore a few big things and deal with my own stuff...the mess is gone when I'm done with all my stuff.

Around the House

Mary continued, “Start by opening a closet and saying, ‘I’m going to throw away, or otherwise deal with, ten things. I can stick with this for ten things.’”

Then get two big black trash bags. One for trash, one for the second hand store or goodwill or wherever. There is a boys home and a girls home near me. I once donated six 30 gallon trash bags full of clothes (you know those six 6 jean skirts I would never EVER be able to wear again?) to the girls home. They were thrilled.

Stuff to keep is either tidied in place or put aside to put back when the easy tossing is done. And for these items, Mary, Janet, and Sandra all recommend the rule of time. If you’re unsure if you want to keep something, box it up and store it out of sight. A closet. The basement. A storage shed. If you haven’t needed anything in that box for six months to a year, then get rid of it. If you’re really brave, don’t even look inside before you toss it. Ha!

Ruth Logan Herne was forced to declutter during a remodeling job. That’s one way to get the job done! “Our decluttering began by force: We needed a new roof, so everything had to be pulled out of the eaves, behind the walls. I realized the only thing that should still be stored back there was our Christmas stuff... and so it began. One room, then one closet at a time. I have one room left, and my goal is to have that done by Christmas this year, sandwiching it between working and writing and enjoying life! One room, one closet, one dresser at a time: and in a year or two, what a difference you've made!”

Don’t sweat this. I made a very nice head start in the spring between writing deadlines. We had a dumpster at the house for some work on the tractor shed, and I cleaned out a closet and a bathroom. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and I felt tons better.

Computers, Email, Junk Mail, Tax Returns, etc.



Myra Johnson controls email “clutter” by creating filtering rules and “Smart Mailboxes” in her Apple Mail program. Myra has more than 10 different mailboxes set up, including separate ones for her personal mail, website mail, e-bills and banking messages, writing loops, Facebook, Twitter, and the email addresses she uses strictly for shopping online. This way, Myra can tell at a glance what needs to be handled and what can wait.

Great tips for managing email, Myra. Unsure what to do about some emails? Or emails that are important for the short-term, but after a week or so can be deleted? Create a folder called “Temporary” and stick them there. Eventually, you can delete those completely. Sometimes I’ll check that folder for that interesting email and realize that the topic no longer interests me. Delete!

Janet tucks important papers and business cards in plastic folders with sleeves so she can find what she wants quickly and easily.

Sort snail mail immediately. Put bills in a secure spot. A box, a file slot, a basket. Toss junk mail on the spot. Everything else…if you’re unsure, stack/store it away from your important mail, and every few days, check it again. When you realize that sale at Kohls was LAST week and you missed it (drat it!), it’s time to toss the flyer.

Store tax returns and receipts in sturdy labeled bins or boxes. Seven years is the recommended time to keep them. Every year shred the oldest year. Or shred all accompanying paperwork and just keep the actual return if you prefer. Scanning paper records is becoming more and more popular. Saves space and is easier to find.

Photos, Momentos, and Heirlooms



This is the one area that’s dicey. Janet says, “I have oodles of albums and boxes of photos. I’m sentimental so struggle with what to do with all those pictures and grandkid’s drawings.”

Janet, I think we’re all like that. See my oldest’s finger paint from 1993? It’s still on the refrigerator. Sentimental a bit? You betcha!

But Mary has a wonderful solution….

Give each precious 'keepsake' or thing that 'might be useful someday' the 'CRANAPPLE JUICE AND SHATTERED GLASS TEST.'

Simply put, you look at each item you think you should keep and ask yourself, if this thing was soaked in red juice and embedded with shattered glass...would I try to save it. Sometime’s it's yes. Great-great grandma's walnut clock. Baby pictures of your kids. That first hand-lettered card that says, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy.”

But for many things the answer is NO. If the answer is no...it goes. It's neither precious nor valuable if you wouldn't try to save it from such a fate.

As you declutter, purchase a sturdy tub for each child and sort their stuff into those tubs. There will be time enough later to scrapbook them if that’s your bent.

Our Health

Ruthy’s advice about decluttering our homes applies to our bodies as well. Take it one day at a time. We didn’t get in this shape (or lack thereof) overnight. Crash diets don’t work in the long run any better than crashing a bulldozer into your house does. Stock up on fresh fruits and veggies, healthy proteins. Strap on your FitBit or your iPhone to track your steps, then dive into that closet for thirty minutes. Declutter-multitasking x 2 to the rescue!

The Time is NOW!

I related to Mary when she told me, “So often getting started is the stumbling block. But then I forget about my 'ten things' rule and just keep tossing, donating, tossing, donating. Occasionally keeping things.”

Also, Mary offered the following excellent advice. When you throw something away, you wait until someone asks for it. Then act confused. "Wow, I have no idea where that is." [Pam again. I could answer this truthfully because I would have forgotten after a few days anyway.]

Mary continues, “Only in extreme circumstances do you admit that you have BURNED SOMETHING TO A CRISP AND LAUGHED THE WHOLE TIME!”

And the best tip of all was Sandra Leesmith’s advice to just MOVE!

Of course it’s a little hard to move out of my mind.

So, the floor’s open, and the dumpster is ready and waiting. Tell us your best decluttering tips and strategies!




CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of. www.pamhillman.com

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