Lose the clutter (continued)

A home for all generations. One thing that people in the sandwich generation find is that their home tends to fill up with inherited belongings on the one hand - mum's china, for example - and stored belongings for their kids - old school notes or furniture for when they finally buy that first home.

Remember: you are not responsible for keeping a museum or a supply depot. Don't make the mistake - and leave the family a legacy - of mistaking belongings for connection or affection. That doesn't mean you have to pitch out all the family photographs or anything truly special to you. But reconsider whether you are letting the past and future interfere with the present.

Ask your kids what they would like to have, and figure out with them where it should be stored (preferably in their own homes), and how to handle anything else that you find that you are keeping for them. Select a few heirloom items and let the rest go to people who will use them the way they were intended - it's very unlikely your grandmother bought her tea set in order to have it gather dust in your basement in perpetuity.

A plan of attack
There are two schools of thought on decluttering. Some people prefer to do small amounts over time. The advantage to this plan of attack is that you're less likely to get overwhelmed and decluttering may become a habit. The disadvantage is that you may find your energy for taking things to charities or lugging them out to the curb may wane over time.

Other people prefer to have it all over with at once. The advantage to this plan of attack is a big payoff at the end as your space is transformed. The disadvantage is that you may get overwhelmed and find yourself in a worse quandary than you started.

Whichever way you go, many of the principles are the same:

Have three or at the most four categories: Keep, toss, and give away. A fourth possible category is sell, but beware the pitfalls of this category: it tends to take time and energy to decide how and when to sell things. If items are not very valuable, you have already enjoyed their worth in acquiring them - and you can enjoy the satisfaction of passing them on to those who really need them in a generous way by donating them.

-- Have a bin or box for each category (for keep you may want to designate an area) - garbage bags may work, but it can be frustrating if you are tossing very heavy things or things with sharp edges.

-- If you can recruit a helper to do the carrying and lifting, this will leave you with more time and energy for decision making. It's a great weekend job for a grandchild or neighbour's child.

-- If you are tackling things in short bursts of sorting, take a bag and select 20 things to throw out. Then take another bag and select 20 things to give away, both as quickly as possible.

-- If you are working for a longer time period, set a time limit for the day - remember, it took a long time to get here and will take several days at least to tackle. Start at one side of the room or area and go through the room beginning with the surfaces. Then start with drawers, bins, and closets. In larger areas, like closets, do one shelf or half at a time - don't dump everything out onto the floor; it will look intimidating!