Tips for Purging

The Oxford English Dictionary first cites the use of the word purge in Britain in 1300. Purge was used as a legal term to denote the clearing of one’s character from the accusations of guilt and as a medical term for clearing one’s body of unwanted matter. Shortly thereafter, the term purge was applied to the removal of anything unwanted or harmful to one’s person.

Many people have difficulty when it comes to purging material items. There can be many reasons for this difficulty. When you finally decide you are ready and willing to start the purging process, try asking yourself the following questions as you encounter each item you are sorting through:

  • Do I use this item on a regular basis?
  • Is the item irreplaceable?
  • Is it valuable?
  • Is it worth keeping this item and taking up the needed space to store it?

If you get stuck while trying to decide which items you should purge, box those items up and label the box with a date 6 months from the present. If the future date arrives and you haven’t needed the items in the box, chances are they are good items to purge.

Go ahead, free yourself!

–Jenny Power, Absolutely Organized