How I did it: Not including the time it took me to get to this point, I only spent four days actually sifting through the junk in my room.

So not only did I clear out things I don't need, I also cleaned my room, which was long overdue. By about x years.

But I found so many things I hadn't even seen since I first got them, and it was fun going through that. I couldn't believe half of the crud I'd held onto, though. I had band-aids shaped like cupcakes and little Polly Pocket shoes and ribbons from old X-mas gifts. It made me truly see how much of a hoarder I am.

All I did was say, "All right, I'm totally getting this done before the next semester starts."

And I did! :D Sort-of. I vacuumed on the last day (9th of January) which was my first day back in college, but I'm not going to worry about it so much. I work better under pressure, and I got it all done in a relatively short amount of time. For me, anyway.

Lessons & tips: I'm not gonna lie, it's really hard going through things you've collected over the course of your life. And me being a hoarder is no help what-so-ever.

But every time you come across something, you just have to think, "Do I really need this?" You have to imagine what it will be used for, what it will do until that time and how far away that time is. Is it really something worth holding on to, or is just a shiny rock you found on the playground in the second grade that you had to leap on before the other kids got it? It's not important (but that dive for the rock was fun) and you can live without.

Basically try not to attach to every item you come across or think too hard on where it came from. It makes it that much harder to toss in a garbage bag and admit it's not important enough to stash in the corner of your closet.

By all means, though, skip down memory lane with your old bear and look through those game cards you used to trade with your buddies... but if you haven't touched them in years, I think it's most likely safe to say some other kid can either have them (that's what Good Will and garage sales are for) or they can live in the trash.

Resources: Just my own self-motivation and my parents hanging over my head.

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Jan 11, 2012, 09:47AM PST | 4 comments | 16 cheers