[*** minimaxer note: Part 2 of a 4 part series]
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
The classic line to end a personal relationship…
OK, that kind of humor may not work so well here… hey, I tried. But if you think about it, there IS some kernel of wisdom in the breakup line relative to our minimax discussion…
Getting rid of stuff is like ending a relationship – we are leaving that relationship behind (with the stuff) and moving on with our lives and to a new relationship (with other stuff).
We were talking about the emotion associated with stuff and the difficulty we have letting go. Even if we don’t realize it, the things we hang onto for years and years – even just stored in boxes – develop an emotional attachment. That attachment can be compounded when it’s inherited stuff from a parent, relative, or friend. How do we get rid of that stuff so we can move on?
building your minimax system to minimize stuff
Once again, we need to build our system to help us methodically process the stuff so we can get rid of it – without guilt. We’ve scanned our important emotional items so we can enjoy them virtually and reminisce in the future. Now we need to get rid of the stuff in a rapid and respectful way if possible.
Fortunately, others have techniques we can adopt here to expedite our dumping process. And since this can be a painful step, we want to get through it as quickly as possible. Here are some suggestions for building your system to get it done fast and efficiently. I call it the 3-S system because you are sorting the stuff into categories so you can identify what you want to save and then stage it for the move and ultimately for your planned use of the stuff when you get it into your home.
Sorting
This is a big deal.
Sorting is probably the hardest part of the whole process because you are making decisions on the fly as you tackle the mountain of stuff in front of you. It’s also hard because you will be cycling back through the emotional attachment issues more – it may be the first time you’ve encountered some of the stuff and you may have questions to answer before you move along to the other steps. So take enough time here to do it correctly and so you don’t second guess your decisions too much later on.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once – use the project manager’s trick of ‘chunking down’ the big project into smaller bite-sized steps.
To set up for the sorting, it’s helpful to have a supply of boxes and bags available. The first sorting decision will be whether the item has value or if it’s just plain garbage. It’s amazing the things we find going through someone else’s stuff… we’re all guilty of hanging onto things that should be thrown away – or maybe we just forget and it ends up tucked away in a drawer somewhere out of sight and out of mind.
If you have a lot of paper in filing cabinets or archive boxes, these need to be checked for personal information too. You don’t want to throw away a bunch of financial or medical records with personal data that a hacker could use. It’s a sad commentary on our society but there are people out there who look through the obituaries for victims to prey on. If you’re processing a relative’s old tax and health files you will want to have a special box to sort out the stuff to shred.
You will also want to have your recycle bins available. Depending on how much stuff you’ve got, it may require several bins! This is where it’s nice to have a truck, or a friend with a truck you can borrow… we don’t want this stuff going to the landfill in the dumpster.
While you’re sorting you are also assessing the value of each item. If you have a question about something you will want to do a little research. It’s great to do the sorting part as a team – remember the old adage ‘two heads are better than one’? It’s especially valid here since you may not know the full history of an item, but your surviving parent probably does. Check with them as you go through the stuff to make sure you’re not keeping something silly or dumping something good.
There will be natural categories you can sort the stuff into during this step of you process. A high level sort will start with Keep vs Dump, but you may find it useful to get a little more granular. Don’t worry about getting too precise since you’ll have at least two more chances to sort when you pack and unpack the stuff for the move.
Some ideas for categories to sort the stuff into may be Tools, Appliances, Supplies, Clothing, and Jewelry. Or you may want to sort like a normal move and use categories tied to where you think the item will best be used like Kitchen, Bedroom, Garage, Office, Yard, or Basement. If there are items that you think should go to a relative you can make a category for them too.
The main point in sorting is to quickly assess the item and move on to the next. A rule of thumb borrowed from Dave Allen (famous author of Getting Things Done) and his research is to just touch something once if possible. That means picking up the piece of paper, looking at it to understand what it is, and then putting it down in the right pile and leaving it there.
It’s OK to spend a little time on something if you can do your research or whatever in 2 minutes or less on an item. If you find it’s going to take longer than that it needs to go into another sort later when you have more time. That would be the For Later pile in your sorting categories.
Saving
As you process the stuff you will want to save a lot of things. Keep in mind there are many different ways of saving stuff so it can be maximized later. Remember you aren’t the only one on this journey. If something clearly has useful life remaining it would be a shame to send it to the landfill. Someone else may have a project or need for just that item and would appreciate it and put it to good use.
Ideas for how to save something can be as simple as donating it to the local Salvation Army or maybe posting it on Craigslist or Ebay if you think it has considerable value and would sell.
A popular way to get rid of stuff quickly and capture some value is to have an estate sale. This isn’t for the faint of heart because, just like the hackers looking for gems in your paper records, there are “bargain hunters” out there trying to get steal at an estate or garage sale. Be prepared!
You can also save things for family members if you know they would like or use the item. Follow the 2 minute rule here and make a quick phone call as you’re sorting to see if something needs to go into this “save pile.”
Another way to save something and make sure it gets maximized is to donate it to an organization. There are many charitable organizations out there, but getting in touch with them is sometimes a challenge. You will find lots of stuff that you may not have a use for, and may not understand, but may be of value to a hobbyist or maker club. Things like electronics, modeling, sewing, and other crafts are expensive and those folks who do these hobbies appreciate a good deal too, plus you know they will be putting it to good use.
Staging
During this whole process we want to keep in mind our end goal… getting ready for the move. That means organizing the stuff we are saving into boxes and piles that we can easily (haha) pack up and move across town, country, or the world. The distance you’re going will dictate how you pack things up, but we’ll cover that later.
When you are staging things it’s nice to keep the stuff in their categories. This may make it easier to unpack later, but it’s not essential. The most important thing staging does is help you clear things out so you can see what is left to sort and save.
If you can dedicate an area of the house, or maybe the whole garage, to the staging area you will find it much easier to do the packing up later. Packing up stuff is really an art – both getting the stuff into boxes, and then getting the boxes into a moving van or vehicle.
It’s OK to use the 3-S method more than once. Give yourself permission to make a second pass through the staged stuff if you find it’s still too much to handle. Remember you will be going through a similar process on the other end of the move once you get the stuff to your home where you have the fun of putting it into use in your life…
Now that you’ve got everything staged and ready to move, the next step is to pack for the move to its new home… your home! We’ll cover that in the next blog post…