Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
● Decluttering: The Sentimental Person’s Challenge
● What Do People Get Sentimental About?
● The Advantage to Being a 21st Century Declutterer
● Don’t Be Afraid
● Keep What You Will Use…And Use It!
● Becoming a Sentimental Declutterer
Chapter 2
● The Opposite of Sentimental: Clean-Sweepers
● Have They No Heart?
● Maybe Clean-Sweepers Aren’t Heartless After All
● Clean-Sweepers Hate Clutter Just Like We Do
Chapter 3
● Three Rules for Decluttering Success (for Sentimental People Only)
● Rule 1: It Has to Go to a Good Home
● Rule 2: The Memory Must Be Preserved
● Rule 3: It May Take Time
Chapter 4
● Decluttering Your Home
● Method One: One Room at a Time
● Method Two: The Big Purge
● How to Choose?
● What Worked for Me
● Choose Destinations Carefully and Quickly Dispatch Everything
● When You Get Bogged Down
● The Four Steps of Decluttering
Chapter 5
● Going Through Your Keep Piles
● Two Parameters That Will Help You Prioritize Your Belongings
● Choosing Your Most Beautiful Things
● How Many Items Should You Keep?
● Where Will You Keep Your Most Beautiful Items?
● How to Sort and Set Priorities While Decluttering
● More Strategies for Prioritizing Your Sentimental Items
● Useful and Beautiful
Chapter 6
● The Sentimental Seven
● Books
● Babies’ and Kids’ Clothes, Toys, Artwork and Schoolwork
● Possessions of Late Loved Ones, Heirlooms, and Inherited Belongings
● Let a Little Time (Not Decades) Pass Before You Go Through Everything
● Gifts and Other Expensive Items
● Collections
● Items That Represent a Lost Dream
Chapter 7
● Other People’s Sentimental Clutter
Chapter 8
● A Final Word
● The Second Time Around
● Stay Motivated
● No Regrets
● What If You Can’t Give Any of It Up?
About the Author
Also by Claire Middleton