Get control of the stuff in your life!

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Dear Carolyn,
My sleeper is out of control. There’s stuff everywhere, I can’t find anything I need and it depresses me to realize I’m living like a pig. I don’t know where to begin getting control of my life. Can you help me get started?
Jake

Dear Jake,
If you mean can I literally help? Like have you pull your rig into my driveway and I climb aboard with trash bags and Windex? Uh, that would be a big fat NO. But if you mean, how do YOU start, then, maybe I can be of service. I’ve had to practice tough love on my own slovenly nature and know who hard it can be to get started. However, you already took the first major step by identifying the problem and astutely realizing that the clutter is not just about the stuff in your truck, it’s about taking control of your life. Well done. Pats you on the back.
Now. Get about 5 hefty bags, some boxes and some cleaning materials. Next, start sorting through the stuff. Make three piles: keep, give, toss. The keep bag has to be stuff you really need on the road. The give category can be stuff you once needed and might need but have not used in the last year. Give that bag to a local charity. The toss bag should be the fattest. Throw out old magazines, newspapers, broken stuff, hideous stuff and anything else that you’d be ashamed to give to Goodwill.
Clean thoroughly.
Make a vow to never add anything to your truck until you get rid of something.
I’m just say’n

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