Clutter Video Tip: How to De Clutter with Better Decision-Making

http://www.ClutterDiet.com Get organized with home organizing tips from professional organizers at The Clutter Diet. Decisions, decisions, decisions... The process of decision making can be long and tedious. Important decisions require thorough decision making analysis- maybe even mapping it out on a decision tree. In today's video Lorie Marrero will show you how to make decisions better and faster. Following these steps will make your decision-making more efficient and less stressful. One of the first steps in learning how to de clutter is figuring out how to decide what stays and what goes. You CAN be that decision-maker! These Clutter Video Tips are posted frequently here on our clutterdiet organizing channel. You can search Twitter for #ClutterVideoTip also to find comments on our organizing tips. Lorie Marrero is the creator of ClutterDiet.com and the author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. Lorie also serves as the national spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International and ambassador of the Donate Movement.

Five ways to make better, faster decisions:
1. Take ownership
2. Set a deadline
3. Narrow your choices
4. Be a "satisficer"
5. Set policies for yourself

Related Links:
http://www.clutterdiet.com
http://donate.goodwill.org
http://locator.goodwill.org
http://www.clutterdiet.com/freetips
http://www.facebook.com/clutterdiet

Hi. I'm Lorie Marrero, creator of the Clutter Diet book and on-line program and today's Clutter Video Tip is about how to make better, smarter, faster decisions. Decision making is huge in the organizing process. People don't realize that clutter actually is delayed decisions and delayed actions. Think about everything you have sitting around on your counter or on your desk, that's an action you haven't taken or a decision you haven't made. If you can make better, faster decisions, you will be more organized. Here are 5 ways to do that.

First of all, you need to take ownership. If you have a pile of something on your kitchen counter, who's going to clean that up? Is there any ambiguity about this? Well, why don't you take ownership and have it be you, and make it happen, because that's the only way action comes about is when someone owns that.

Secondly, you want to set a deadline. We joke around about how there's no better way to get organized than to have a party at your house. Because you know everybody's coming over, you've got to get it done.

Third, you want to simply narrow your choices. I'm a native Texan and I live in Austin, Texas, and when you go to the supermarket there are over 100 choices for salsa. You can get the thick and chunky, you can get the chipotle, you can get the verde, and it's very difficult to make that decision unless you have narrowed your choices down. When you're organizing I have a couple of tools to help you narrow your choices. First, for paper and information you can do one of three things: action, reference, or trash. You either need to do something with it, keep it for later, or throw it away or recycle it. If you're doing physical items, you can think: keep, donate, or toss. Just stay high-level, don't try to drill down on all the categories just yet, just get the big sorting done.

The fourth way to make better decisions is to think about whether you are a satisficer or a maximizer. This comes from a book by Barry Schwartz called The Paradox of Choice -- Why More is Less. And he was explaining that there was some research done in the 50's that found that there are two kinds of decision makers. A maximizer is somebody who perfectionistically needs to investigate every possible choice of a decision. They always worry that there's something better around the corner, and they're never quite happy with their choice. A satisficer can make faster, better decisions. They are a person who once they have found a decent option that meets their criteria and their standards, they move forward without worrying about whether there's something better out there.

The fifth way that you can make better, faster decisions is to set policies for yourself to make the decisions easier. Setting rules for yourself, like, "I will donate anything I haven't worn in one year." Or, "I will unsubscribe and recycle any magazines that I haven't read in three months." When you have these rules the decisions are made in advance and it's much easier.

If you have trouble making decisions, get our Wallet Reminder Sleeves. These are for preventing clutter from entering your home in the first place. These are free when you go to our Free Tips page. Put your favorite credit or debit card inside the sleeves and they give you the 5 questions you should ask before buying anything. Find out more about that at http://www.clutterdiet.com/freetips.

See you next time, and may you always be happy and grateful for having more than enough.

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[brunokike8]

i enjoyed the pop ups the more we give the better we live.

[clutterdiet]

Thank YOU for watching!

[gentlebreeze5]

The pop ups are very annoying!

[clutterdiet]

@gentlebreeze5 So sorry to hear that you feel that way! I watch the comments on the popups carefully, and so far much more positive reaction than negative. I do think they are fun and are a way to introduce more information while still keeping the videos relatively short. Is there anything that would make them more appealing? Is it the sound you don't like? I was inspired by Popup Video on VH1 that aired many years ago and did the same thing.

[TotallyTyra]

I don't mind the popups at all. Great info =)

[marycindereli]

Good thnx!!!! :) :) :)

[Martha Saavedra]

KDT... sounds like Kitty. Lol. (^_^)*

[rtp1968]

I LOVE the pop ups. Thanks!

[HerbavorianActress]

Thank you so much for your videos! I have a garage sale coming up this weekend to sell as much of my stuff as I can that I have collected over the past 24 years of my life. I suffer from some pretty extreme indecision--definitely been a maximizer and trying to change that and trust myself! haha Thank you for being matter-of-fact but recognizing the emotional and mental factors behind clutter. I look forward to watching more of your videos!!

[gentlebreeze5]

Lori, I was referring to the pop up that was advertising giving to Goodwill. It stayed on the screen and would only go away if you clicked on it.

I don't see it now and yes it had a sound. The points that are off to the left are good and do not have a sound. Perhaps something was changed? Anyway.....now it is so much better.

Thank you!