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 Out of clutter, find simplicity.

Albert Einstein

Module Two: Remove the Clutter

One of the hardest parts about getting organized is sifting through and
getting rid of the things that cause distractions and take up space. When
you find yourself among the stacks and piles of stuff and items, it can
seem overwhelming. By taking it one step at a time, and remembering to
breathe, you can begin to de-clutter your life and start on the path to
successful organization.

Just Do it
Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed about taking on the task of removing our
clutter and tend to make excuses as to why it doesn’t get done. We can claim that we
don’t have the time, or that there is too much to do at once. But as Nike says, we
have to “Just Do It” and we have to throw away our excuses and dive in. Make a plan
on how you can get started, such as making a ‘cleaning calendar’ or choosing an area
to start on. Stick with your plan until the job is complete, and don’t let the same
excuses hinder your success.

Helpful tips:

 Make a calendar with time to clean

 Divide the areas that need to be conquered

 Make a list of tasks

 Decide where items go beforehand

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Estimated Time 10 minutes

Topic Objective Learning to get started on removing clutter

Just Do It
Topic Summary Identify the excuses we make for not cleaning clutter and how we can
overcome them.

Materials Required Worksheet 1-My Excuses

Planning Checklist None

Complete the worksheet individually. Share your ideas with the rest of the
Recommended Activity
class.

Stories to Share Share any relevant personal stories or ideas.

Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.

Review Questions Why is it important to “Just Do It” with your clutter?

You Don’t Have to Keep Everything

You know who you are – the person that exclaims “I have to keep [this] because I
might need it later!”

In reality, we can throw away over half of our saved documents or items without
feeling a sense of withdrawal or consequence. The decision to keep everything can
drive us to make inappropriate choices with organization and contributes to more
clutter. We can break that thought pattern by examining what we are holding on to
and by realizing we can’t live by the ‘what ifs’ an item may have. Go through your clutter and clarify how
it is useful to you right now and get rid of anything that doesn’t have a clear purpose. Once you have
removed the items you don’t need or have use for, you are no longer wasting time on useless clutter,
but are developing better organization for the things you did keep.

Ask yourself:

 Am I going to use this in the near future?

 When was the last time I needed this?

 If I keep this, where does it belong?

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Estimated Time 10 minutes

Topic Objective Learning to let go of clutter

You Don’t Have to Keep Everything

Topic Summary
Examine your current clutter and learn to ‘let go’ of unnecessary items

Materials Required Worksheet 2-What Do I Keep?

Planning Checklist None

Complete the worksheet individually. Voluntarily share your answers with

Recommended Activity
the rest of the class.

Stories to Share Share any relevant stories or ideas.

Encourage everyone to participate. Take note that many may not respond
Delivery Tips
since answers may be personal.

Review Questions What is one way we can determine if we need to keep something?

Three Boxes: Keep, Donate, and Trash

The most common approach to clearing out clutter is the Three Boxes method. This
method forces a decision to be made about each item you touch as you go through
your clutter. You don’t get to put it aside or come back to it later. Pick up an item,
one at a time, and think about which box it should go in. Try not to release the item
until a decision is made.

 Box 1 – Items to Keep: This box is for items you would like to keep or maybe even put away for
safe keeping (such as heirlooms or special gifts). This is not to be confused with the ‘things I
might need later’ type of thinking. Only keep items that have value and meaning to you.

 Box 2 – Items to Donate: This box is for items that you realize you no longer need or want.
Items in this box can be donated or sold at a rummage sale, just as long as it leaves the clutter!

 Box 3 – Trash: This box is for the things that you do not need or want and cannot be donated or
given away. This often includes old papers or documents, mail, or broken items. Once this box is
full or complete, remove it from the area right away and don’t give it a second look.

Estimated Time 10 minutes

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Topic Objective Determining how to sort the clutter

Three Boxes: Keep, Donate, and Trash

Topic Summary Learn to individually review clutter items and realize how they should be
sorted.

Materials Required Various household items

Bring in a box of random household items, such as stuffed toys, office

Planning Checklist supplies, or kitchen gadgets. Leave them in the box until ready for the
presentation.

Pull an item out of the box and ask the class to determine which of the three
boxes it should go in. Listen as the class responds with different answers. Do
the same thing with the other items. Then discuss how each person bases
Recommended Activity
their answer on different reasons and how one item (such as a stuffed
bunny) can mean something different to someone else. Emphasize why it is
important to look individually at our clutter and decide where it goes.

Stories to Share Share any relevant personal stories for this section.

Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.

Review Questions How can the Three Boxes method be customized to each person?

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

One factor that contributes to our clutter is where we decide to keep it. When
something is not in its proper place, everything else can seem chaotic and
disorganized. While we are thinking about where things need to go, think about
what the item(s) is/are and where it/they would be best suited. This may require
refreshing your memory and searching for every available open space that can be
used. No matter the amount of stuff you plan to keep, once it has found its proper
place in your office, it will no longer be in the way of your attempts to organize your space.

Ask yourself:

 What do I need to put here/there?

 Where would this be best suited?

 Will it be in my way/contribute to clutter there?

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Estimated Time 5 minutes

Topic Objective Finding a place for your kept items and how they fit in your office.

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

Topic Summary
Realize the importance of proper placement of your belongings.

Materials Required Flip chart/ Dry erase board, markers

Planning Checklist None

Discuss with the group how various items are kept at work and how they are
can affect our organization (such as-archived records do not go in the active
Recommended Activity records drawer because why?). Review the effect of having the right item in
the right place and how it impacts our organizational skills. Take suggestions
from the group and write them on the flip chart or dry erase board.

Stories to Share Share any relevant personal stories.

Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.

What does A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place essentially mean
Review Questions
to our organization plans?

Practical Illustration
Stacy decided she would spend her Saturday afternoon clearing out the clutter that has
built up in the family den. She knew she had put it off for too long, and decided this would
be the best time. She took her three boxes marked Keep, Donate, and Trash and began
picking up items one by one. As she picked up old papers and broken toys, she knew it
was an easy decision to throw these things away. But then Stacy started to find old
keepsakes lying around, including her children’s old clothing and photo albums. Her
immediate thought was to put them away; until she remembered that it isn’t necessary to keep
everything and that she can, and will, have to part with some things.

By the end of the afternoon, Stacy had managed fill a donation box with items she knew she no longer
needed or wanted. She also threw away several boxes of garbage. When she was left with just the items
she wanted to keep, she had no trouble organizing everything and finding a permanent place for it all.

Estimated Time 5 minutes

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Topic Objective Outline the Remove the Clutter Practical Illustration

Practical Illustration
Topic Summary
Discuss various methods and techniques of removing clutter.

Materials Required None

Planning Checklist None

Discuss the results of the Practical Illustration. How was Stacy able to
Recommended Activity
effectively remove her clutter in one afternoon?

Stories to Share Share any relevant personal stories.

Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.

Review Questions What techniques were effective for Stacy?

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Module Two: Review Questions
1.) What is one reason we do not remove our clutter?

a) We make excuses
b) We like how it looks
c) We find it convenient for our stuff
d) We wait for someone else to do it

One of the main reasons we do not act on removing our clutter is that we make excuses and
delay taking actions to correct the problem.

2.) What is one way we can “Just Do It” with our clutter?

a) Move it all to another room

b) Put it off for a better time
c) Work on one area at a time
d) Make someone else clean it up

By working on one area at a time, we are actively attacking the clutter problem without letting it
overwhelm us.

3.) Why do we commonly feel as though we need to keep something?

a) We like the color

b) We need it to keep it for a friend
c) We want to donate it to someone
d) We might need it later

The most common reason we keep something and contribute to our clutter is because we think
we will need it at a later time, and thus feel less reluctant to just let it go.

4.) In general, we only need about _______ of the items we keep.

a) All
b) Half
c) One quarter
d) None

Generally, we need about one half of the items or papers that we keep or tell ourselves we need
to keep, which causes use to accumulate more clutter.

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 5.) What is an advantage of the Three Box approach?

a) It is the fastest method of cleaning

b) It can be done with a friend
c) It forces a quick decision
d) It increases our charity donations

The Three Boxes approach forces us to make a quick decision about an item, which keeps us
from dwelling on our ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ and focuses and what needs to be done.

6.) What is a disadvantage of the Three Box approach?

a) It can be time consuming

b) It forces us to get rid of our stuff
c) It can be boring
d) It can be overwhelming

The Three Boxes approach can take a lot of our free time to do since we have to stop and
examine each object individually, depending on the amount of clutter we have to go through.

7.) If items are not in a proper place, they can make the area seem _______________.

a) Friendly
b) Cluttered
c) Inviting
d) Eccentric

When we have stuff or items that have not been put in a proper place or stored correctly, they
can make the area seem cluttered and disorganized. When we put these items away properly, it
improves our organization.

8.) What is one suggestion when discovering a proper place for things?

a) Throw older items away

b) Stack items on top of each other to make room
c) Try to store everything in one room
d) Evaluate available storage spaces

When finding a place for everything in our office, a good suggestion is to go through and
evaluate the available storage space you have, including closets, shelves, etc. Once we know
what area we have available to us, we can better assess where our things can belong.

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 9.) When you find yourself among the stacks and piles of stuff and items, it can seem _______.

a) Fun
b) Exciting
c) Overwhelming
d) All of the above

When you find yourself among the stacks and piles of stuff and items, it can seem
overwhelming.

10.) Which of the following is a helpful tip when trying to organize?

a) Decide where everything goes

b) Make a calendar
c) Make a list
d) All of the above

Helpful tips: Make a calendar with time to clean - Divide the areas that need to be conquered -
Make a list of tasks - Decide where items go beforehand

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Sample Worksheet 1

My Excuses
Using the spaces below, identify what excuses you use that keep you from cleaning out your clutter.
Then decide what action you can take to overcome those excuses.

Excuse:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Solution:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Excuse:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Solution:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Excuse:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Solution:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Excuse:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Solution:
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Sample Worksheet 2

What Do I Keep?
Thinking back to what we’ve learned in this section, review what clutter you have kept at either your
home or at work. In the space provided, determine if you have items you don’t have to keep and what
you can do to help clear some of the excess clutter out.

Clutter at Home:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Clutter at Work:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Icebreaker: Categories
PURPOSE
To help participants get to know each other.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

None

PREPARATION

Prepare a list of categories, such as:

1. Favorite color

2. Favorite season

3. Number of siblings

4. Astrological sign

5. Shoe size

6. Favorite subject in school

ACTIVITY

Ask participants to stand. Explain that you are going to ask them to arrange themselves by different
categories. For example, you might say, “What is your favorite color?” Participants will look for other
people who share their favorite color and form groups. Once everyone is in a group, ask the groups to
identify themselves. Repeat the activity with four or five different categories.

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CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

www.corporatetrainingmaterials.com
[Name]
Has mastered the course
Organizational Skills
Awarded this _______ day of ______e____, 20___

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Presenter Name and Title