TABE Reading Skills Assessment 9 — Flashcards

Read the passage and answer questions below.    

Getting Organized    
Your physical environment plays a significant role on your mental state. Clutter in the home and workplace often adversely affects clear thinking and productivity. However, most of us have become junk collectors. We’re compelled to buy stuff we don’t want, don’t need, and may never even use.    
We get frustrated because we can’t find important items we really need amidst the junk. Do you have junk-filled drawers or closets? Can you even see the surface of your desk? Freeing yourself of the excess will not only clear your space and allow you to make important items easier to find and keep handy, but also help clear your mind and create a more relaxing atmosphere.    
If you have a hard time deciding what to keep and what to toss out, consider these clutter-clearing guidelines:    
Clothing—If you haven’t worn it in the last year, let it go. If you didn’t feel the need to wear that old purple striped sweater in the last 365 days, are you really going to wear it in the next 365?    
Tools and Kitchen Utensils—If you have more than two of the same thing, get rid of the extras. How many hammers or coffee mugs do you really need? Are they ever all used at once?    
Food—Is your kitchen cluttered with food you never touch or don’t get to until it’s green and fuzzy? Sure, make an exception for a great sale and stock foods that keep well, but avoid excess foods that will lead to overeating and spoilage.    
Start small with a cluttered pantry, desk, or single closet. Once you start clearing out, you’ll feel so good that the momentum just might carry you to the next cluttered space and then the next. In time, you can transform your living and work spaces.    
So what do you do with all that stuff? Take your excess and have a garage sale, sell it online, or donate it. Someone else can use what’s junk to you and when you clear it out, you’ll find you not only have more space, but more peace of mind.