Tip of the Month: Decluttering and Organizing Aren't One-Time Projects Our lives change, and what was once a valued possession becomes something that we no longer need or want. Or maybe we want to keep an item, but we realize it now needs to be stored differently. Here are just a few examples of how life changes might cause you to do some decluttering and re-organizing. 1. Career Changes When I left the corporate world after more than 25 years, I didn't make too many changes right away. But over time, those old software engineering books became clutter, and I gave them away to make room for books that supported my new life. My old briefcases have also left my home, one by one, as I realized that they too really have no place in my new life. And as I gained more experience in my new career, I've re-organized my car. I carry much less than I did before, as I understand which items are truly important to have with me. 2. Technology Changes As an information junkie, I used to have files full of information on medical conditions, on places I might want to travel to, etc. But now I have a computer - and now those files have been largely replaced by a good collection of bookmarks (favorites for those of you using Internet Explorer). I can find up-to-date medical information much more easily that I ever could before with my paper files. 3. Lifestyle/Priority Changes Now that I'm doing exercises at home a few days a week, I needed to re-organize my living room so I could store all the exercise paraphanalia (hand weights, bands, balls, etc.) close at hand. I got rid of a CD rack (storing my CDs in CD wallets instead) to free up some room. This is a work in progress - I'm still looking for just the right container for my foam roller and a few other things. And now that I have cats who love to pull flowers out of vases and drag them around the house, I don't buy cut flowers very often. So my collection of vases has been whittled down tremendously. What has changed in your life recently? What might that mean for what you want to save, and where you want to save it? Organizing Quote of the Month Don't ask, Can I imagine wearing this? Instead ask, Can I imagine this ever being the best possible thing in my closet to wear? -- The Discardian Organizing Product of the Month | 
