Take a second and read the following poem. It demonstrates the basic principles
to resolving this problem.
Question: "How do you eat an elephant?" Answer: "One bite at a time"
You can eat an elephant.
Oh,yes you can it's true.
They may be huge but not to worry,
they aren't to big for you.
"Just how can I eat such a thing
that's so immense in size?"
"Just look at it in pieces
and make them all bite size."
You see to look from head to tail
can be a daunting task.
Many would just give up now
and let the elephant pass.
Look at it as if you can
eat it piece by piece,
It may take you a while,
but your goal you will reach.
So, next time you have a task
that is difficult to do,
Remember, you can eat an elephant
so take a piece and chew!
Many of us find ourselves overwhelmed with how much stuff we have accumulated. We have rooms
that have gotten so full we can barely enter them. We have good intentions to clean up some day,
but it seems the clutter just keeps
growing and growing until it like the elephant in the story, too much to handle.
Well if you follow these simple "bite size" steps, you too can eat your elephant.
Get Supplies:
The first thing you need to do is go purchase or find several medium size boxes. Make the number of boxes small for now like four,
ones that could easily fit
into the trunk of your car or the back seat. You can purchase boxes from places like the UPS Store or UHaul stores.
Next, make sure you have a large black marker to mark the boxes.
The Setup:
Take two boxes and mark one "Donations" and the other "Trash".
Place the boxes somewhere near the area you are trying to clear out. Actually placing the boxes somewhere
in the way make process more effective, but is not necessary.
The Committment (or bite):
The committment you need to make is actually quite simple. For one week (two at the most) you must commit to filling
up each of the boxes. That all.
Donations Box
Fill the
"Donations" box with those items you really don't want to part with, but know in your heart
you haven't used them in years and probably won't for years to come. You have two incentives to fill this box
:
This is a tax deductible charitible contribution. When taxes come around you can deduct the value on your
tax return. Make sure to record the items you donated and to whom.
You are helping someone else. The items you donate will help someone else less fortunate. Why let a good
item sit and go to waste when it could benefit someone else. Here's a good example. Say you buy a new Camcorder.
Your old one still works so you keep it. The reality is you are either going to store this somewhere long enough
until it is out-of-date and useless to anyone or you will get something even newer yourself. There is a slim chance you
will ever use this Camecorder again, so why not let someone else benefit from it while it still has use.
Trash Box
Fill the "Trash" box with those items you no longer need or that are broken (like that
old camera).
The Finish (or swallow):
Once a box is filled, place it in your back seat or trunk and take it to either the dumpster or a charity drop off, such
as the Goodwill or Salvation Army, off depending on which box.
Don't let the box remain in the area you are trying to clean. If you leave it there, it just becomes part of the
problem once again. If you keep it somewhere inconvenient or in plain site, you are more likely to
get rid of it.
After you have gotten rid of all the boxes in this way, repeat the process until your
clutter is gone. It may take months or even years, but you will complete the task.
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Tips to Reducing Clutter
