The last two months I committed to throwing away at least one thing every day. It can be cleaning the fridge, throwing away an old shopping bag from a store, it can be anything. Some days I get on a roll and fill up two trash bags, but daily I do at least one item.
During the task described above I’ve also started a box for a garage sale. The box might wind up being dropped off at a charity. I’ll probably let my friends go through it first to see if they want anything. The jelly above suggested a room for giveaways, that sounds like a great idea. You could sell the stuff too. Invite friends and acquaintances.
I have thrown away some clothes too. I usually donate clothes, but once in a while I just trash the items to make it easier on myself. I gave away about 20 pieces of clothing in great condition to a friend two years ago. I just mailed bras to my sister that were basically new and some shirts. She said everything fit great. Any article of clothing two sizes too small or more I’ve been trying to get rid of.
The most efficient way to organize is to only touch an item once and decide whether to keep, donate, or trash, but I’m not great at that. Inevitably some of my “keeps” I need to go through again as I gain more mental strength to part with things. It does get easier as you get on a roll to throw things out.
Emotionally it can be really hard. The best for me is being on the phone with my sister as I do it. I don’t like to work alone in general, and especially not when sorting and organizing.
By the way, I’m kind of scattered when I do it. It’s like I’m developing ADD as I age. I start on one part of the house then feel like I can’t do it anymore and go to another. I would guess most people would say it’s better to complete one area and then move to the next, but I’m not great at that. I do force myself sometimes to complete an area so the result of the work is very visible. Empty shelves and drawers that aren’t packed so tightly with stuff, it feels great.