I typically recommend a “Dumpster Day” at the end of the year, perhaps on New Year’s Eve when there’s little productive work that can be done. But it’s also good to do one at midyear, when it’s hot (at least in most places in the US). Any excuse to lighten your load from the clutter and outright junk that you collect is a good one.
Penny, my editor, tells me that the Dutch used to make it a custom to clean all houses and property, pay off all debts, and return all borrowed items before the year’s end. That’s an admirable quality and practice. Of course, the Dutch are renowned as a tidy people, so it may not have been such a forbidding task for them.
But let’s follow their lead.
Clean up your work space, if not your whole house. Clear you desk of everything not nailed down, put it in your inbox (or near it if too large) and process it in good Getting Things Done (GTD) fashion until empty.
Expand your sweep to the larger work area and clear out everything that doesn’t belong or is not in it’s place.
If you’ve borrowed something, return it. If you’ve incurred a debt of money or promise, pay it off.
This activity will reward you in significant ways. A wiser person than I might do this once a month, devoting an entire day to cleaning, returning, and paying off debts.
If my advice fails to stir you, watch an episode or two of Hoarders.
Tags: clean, Dumpster, Dumpster Day, Dutch, Getting Things Done, GTD, hoarders, inbox