When cleaning out closets and drawers, ask the five W-A-S-T-E questions, and you're well on your way to an informed keep-or-toss decision.

Worthwhile: Do you truly like (or fit) the dress or shirt in question? Is that magazine article essential to your job? Does that fax cover sheet contain critical information? If the item isn't worthwhile, toss it out now. If it is, move on to the next four questions.

Again: Will you really use this item again, or is it just going to sit on a shelf or take up space in your files? Use it or lose it: If you don't foresee using something in the next year or if you haven't used it in the last one, clear it out.

Somewhere else: Ask yourself: Can I easily find this somewhere else? Can you borrow it from a friend or get a memo from a colleague? Can you get the details by making a phone call, going online, or at the library? Can you go to a local discount store if you need the item later? If so, you don't need to save it.

Toss: Many things have ways of slipping and sliding by the first three questions, so here's the acid test: Will anything happen if you toss it? If not, go ahead and toss it -- unless it must be legally retained.

This question often ends up taking people on a sentimental journey. Maybe something passed the first three questions because it had sentimental value, but the world wouldn't stop turning if you tossed it. This question is the toughest to judge because it can't be measured by anyone but you.

Entire: Do you need the entire thing? The whole magazine, document, or draft? Every piece of an outfit, even if you wear only the pants? Keep what you need and ditch the excess. Also, get rid of redundancy: Who really needs 17 black pens or a dot-matrix printer when you have a high-speed laser?