Finding a Root Issue

The fastest way to clear a clutter problem is not always the easiest way in the sort run, but in the long run it's so much simpler.

What you do is you find the root issues, the ones that hurt the most, and you tap on them. Any phrase that sends you into a flat-out panic the instant it pops into your head is PROBABLY a root issue.

Ask yourself why you collect things. Why you want things. Why you can't bear to throw this thing away. Let's start with the classic problem of not throwing away magazines and newspapers after you get the next issue.

Question: Why can't I throw away this newspaper?
Answer: I haven't finished reading it.
Q: Yes, but you haven't finished reading any of this big stack of newspapers, and you probably won't finish it. Why keep it?
A: I have to finish it before I can throw it away.
Q: Why?
A: Because it's wasteful to throw away something before you've used it up.

I know when I got to that point in my internal conversation, I was pretty easily at an 8 on the zero to ten scale of emotional intensity. If you are prone to self-examination, you can go a step further.

Q: Why am I so afraid to waste something?
A: Because I know I will never be able to replace it, and there isn't enough.

BINGO! For me, tapping on the phrases "there isn't enough" and "I can never replace it" were huge. A feeling that I was never going to be able to have enough, that there wasn't enough in the world and I would go without if I let go of anything, was forcing me to keep holding on to things that I didn't want, love, need, or enjoy.

You can also alter this technique a bit to help you when you're trying to clean anything or throw anything away, clearing away the mental clutter and pain as you clear away the physical clutter at the same time.