Transcripts

Peter Walsh:
Overwhelmingly I see it as being something that keeps people out of the present. It's a lot of stuff from the past for example you know, "this is all my mothers' stuff, I couldn't possibly let it go."

Professional organizer, Peter Walsh, author of the book, How To Organize Just About Everything and the organizer on the TV show Clean Sweep.

Alternatively it's about being fearful about the future. You know, "I need this stuff just in case something happens." And so what clutter dose is by keeping them in the past or in the future it really robs them of living in the current moment.

So, where do you start with the clutter?

It's about some informed decisions. For example, if you have a ton of stuff locked in boxes somewhere and you think one day I'm going to need this… if you can't access it, you haven't seen it, you haven't used it, you haven't gone anywhere near it in the last six to twelve months then you really seriously should consider getting rid of it.

Remember, says Peter, it took years to accumulate all that stuff and it'll take some time to clean it up and organize it.

The big thing that I tell people is start small and that means just a counter top, just a medicine cabinet, just a bedside table. And slowly through that small increment you'll start seeing huge changes in your home, your office, and your living spaces.

Tomorrow, more ways to get organized I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.