Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight (40 page)

What power does this item have over me?

Is this item helping me create the vision I have for the space?

Is this item serving any purpose or helping me in some positive way?

What feelings linked to this object have kept me from throwing it out?

How would I feel if this item disappeared on its own right now?

Could this item that's a source of pain or disappointment to me become a wonderful addition to someone else's life?

Task 3:

CLEAN OUT YOUR FRIDGE AND FREEZER

When decluttering your home, it's critical to think of each room as a collection of zones. A zone is an area where you keep similar items or where a particular activity takes place. By dividing a room into zones, you:

Establish a home for things that will live in each space

Define how the space will be used

Create a limit for the amount of stuff that you'll permit in each zone

When it comes to your health, your refrigerator/freezer area is one of the most important kitchen zones.

For this and every zone in your home, I want you to first ask yourself:

What do I want from this area?
Someone who grew up in a financially strapped household where having enough to eat wasn't guaranteed might want a fully stocked fridge at all times. Someone with low willpower might want only healthy foods. Decide which needs you want your refrigerator/freezer to meet. Keep in mind that the
Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight
program's meal plans are designed to lead to weight loss. To get the full benefit of this program, please be sure that your fridge and freezer (and other food storage areas) hold the kinds of foods that will carry you to success.

How much space do I want to allow for each type of item?
Spend a few moments sketching out a mental map of your refrigerator. Determine how
much space you'll devote to fruits and vegetables, milk and other dairy, condiments, and other contents.

Once you settle on these criteria, get to work. Ask yourself whether each item helps your refrigerator perform the function you want from it. If it doesn't, toss it. If you realize you have way too much bottled water or salad dressings, get rid of them.

As I discussed earlier in the book, many people hold on to items they don't need because they feel it would be wasteful to discard them. Sometimes that's a valid concern, like with food, since we do live in a world where many people don't have enough to eat. If you don't want to keep food or drinks that are unopened and unexpired, consider offering them to friends, family members, food banks, or homeless shelters.

As you're cleaning and decluttering, give all the shelves and bins a good scrubbing and sanitizing.

When you finish, if you have a second refrigerator in your garage or another room, clean it out, too.

Task 4:

CLEAN OUT YOUR PANTRY

Give your pantry the same treatment that you gave the fridge/freezer. Before you decide what will go into the pantry, decide what you want this zone to provide for you. (You're the boss, and each zone works for
you
, not vice versa.)

Are you trying to get more whole grains into your diet? Make sure your pantry keeps plenty of those available. Do you live a long way from the supermarket, and you'd like to reduce the unnecessary trips that cut into time you'd rather spend elsewhere? Then make sure the pantry is well stocked with the items you use often.

Decide how much space should be available for each type of item (such as
canned goods, cereal, pasta, boxes of teabags, etc.). The pantry often attracts all sorts of nonfood items, such as pet supplies and grocery bags. If possible, keep nonfood items to a minimum in your pantry, so this zone's primary function remains keeping you nourished.

Clean out your entire pantry, wipe up any dust and crumbs, and haul out stuff that's old or expired. If any type of item exceeds the space you're giving it, figure out how to use it quickly, give it away, or throw it out.