Organize
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| Clutter Management |
Are You Afraid of Your Closets?
The number one problem that prevents people from getting organized is that they simply
have too much stuff. It's difficult to choose a nice outfit to wear to work when
your closet is stuffed with clothing from the past fifteen years and three sizes. It's
hard to cook dinner when you have to dig through four cabinets full of everything from
espresso makers to salad spinners to find the pan you use most often - not to mention the
fact that you probably can't find enough counter space because of all the canisters,
equipment and household stuff spread out there.
The more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to dust, clean, iron, insure, wash,
polish, repair, refuel, keep the kids off of, change the batteries in and generally
service. Not to mention the more stuff you have to put away every time you use it, which
means you need to have plenty of storage, which means a bigger mortgage or more expensive
rent.
Why do we all have too much stuff? There are just as many reasons as there are things
shoved into your closets. Here are a few:
And then there's the notion that every single object that comes across your path in
life is obviously a result of fate and must therefore be kept and cherished. We're going
to see if we can get your stuff to loosen its grip on you so that you can clear out your
home and get on your way to living a simpler and more organized life. The bad news is that
decluttering your life is a big project. The good news is that you're going to be able to
do it in tiny little chunks. Once this is done, getting and staying organized is going to
be a snap.
How to Dig Yourself Out
The first step to decluttering is to get your hands on five large containers (cardboard boxes are good). You'll also need a good-sized trash can. Buy a large, permanent marker (yes, I know you have one somewhere, but you can't find it, and when you do find it, it will be dried out). Label the boxes
Also arm yourself with a pen and a pad of paper to make the "to do" and
"to buy" lists that inevitably follow a good closet and cupboard cleaning.
Pick a small space to begin your dejunking. You might try a small drawer or a little
closet. Surround yourself with your boxes, get some coffee or tea, and put on some nice
music. Set a timer for an hour from now. Open your drawer or closet, take out the first
object you see, and decide whether it should stay there or go into one of the boxes.
Pretend that you're interviewing it for a position in your household. Ask it whether or
not it's contributing. Specifically, you want to find out if you like this item, if you
use this item, and if it makes sense to store it in this spot.
How do you decide where to put each item?
Put it back in its place if you like and use the item and it makes sense to store it in this spot.
Give it away or sell it if you don't like or use it and someone else might.
Throw it away if it's garbage, or if you don't like or use it and you're pretty sure the local thrift store would reject it (if it's irreparably dirty or damaged, toss it).
Put it in the sentimental box if it doesn't really serve a purpose and you don't use it, but you feel a special attachment to it.
Put it in the needs work box if you like it, you've used it, and you would use it again, except that it has a fixable problem (needs a new battery, it needs to be hemmed or dry cleaned…you get the idea). When you put things in this box, write the task on your list.
Put it in the put away box if the item belongs somewhere else, and you know where it belongs. Also put items in this box that should go somewhere else, but you're not quite sure where. You'll put this stuff away during your pickup session every day.
Put it in the undecided box if it takes you longer than five
seconds to figure out what to do with this item.
Having a Little Trouble?
I thought so. But don't feel bad! Most of us haven't had a lot of experience honing our decision-making abilities about our stuff. As a matter of fact, your clutter is just the physical result of delayed decision-making. The good news is that you get better with practice. Meanwhile, here's some help for busting through the top eleven junk excuses.
It was a present. Was it a present you like and use, or not? If not, put it in the undecided box and shelve your guilt for now. Later, you'll have more practice being ruthless with unwanted possessions, and you'll see greater value in giving it away to someone else who really does want it.
It's got sentimental value to me. Put it in the sentimental box. We've got plans for that later on.
It might fit me again someday, when I lose the weight. It probably will, but never mind. Don't worry, you are not giving up on losing weight if you give that clothing away. Instead, you're getting your life organized to create the discipline needed to lose weight. You're going to reward your future slim self with a new wardrobe, anyhow. Why not give away or sell those clothes so that someone can get some use out of them now, while they're still fashionable? If you find a year from now that you really want and can wear a pair of size eight lavender plaid Pendleton pants, you can buy another pair with the money you earned taking all that other stuff to consignment shops. Put it in the give away/sell box.
It's still got some good in it. Wonderful. That means it will fetch a better price at the consignment store. Unless you're getting the good out of it by using it regularly, you're going to put it in the give away/sell box so that someone else can enjoy using it.
I'll use it just as soon as I get it fixed. Then get it fixed - without delay! But before you fix it, make sure you're really going to use it. Otherwise save your money and pitch it.
My mother kept house like a museum - this is my way of rebelling. A home reflecting cozy, comfortable order and serenity is a more effective (and mature) response to your upbringing than a home full of miserable chaos. Remember, if it doesn't work out, you can always go back to being messy.
I grew up without many things; surrounding myself with stuff makes me feel secure. Living in a home that resembles a tenement is only going to serve as a constant reminder of your past deprivation. Wouldn't it make you feel more secure to live in a beautiful, uncluttered home filled with lovely things you enjoy? It certainly would be a more appropriate testament to the way that you've overcome adversity and achieved your goals.
I grew up with too many things and I never learned limits. As a child, everything was handed to you on a platter. Now you're having trouble creating order and limits as a grown up. A life with unlimited options and resources causes almost as many problems as a life of deprivation (though most of us would choose the former.) Rich or poor, getting organized and uncluttered can help you develop the discipline necessary to achieve your other goals.
I might need it someday. True of everything in your home from dryer lint to the ailing tractor behind the barn. If you haven't needed it in the past year and you don't foresee any specific projects within the next year for which this item will be used, it goes in give away/sell. If you do a lot of crafts or projects with things you saved because you "might need them someday", then get a cardboard box and save this stuff in it. When the box gets full, it's time to start a new project or start pitching.
I'm saving it for when the kids grow up and have their own homes. I will let this excuse pass only if your kids are moving out on their own within the next year, or if you are speaking of legitimately valuable antiques that have been handed down for generations in your family. If your kids are two and four and you bought it at Wal-Mart, get it out of your attic and give it away or sell it to some struggling newlyweds who can use it in this millennium.
Now that I have all this junk it's too big of a job to get rid of it. It is a
big job, but think how much simpler your life will be when you can find everything, think
how much more spacious your home will be, and think how much happier you will be when
we've gotten you through this work. If you really wilt at the thought, hire a professional organizer as a present
to yourself.
After you've gotten through your first hour, you're going to force yourself to take a
break and not continue until tomorrow. Over the next few weeks, you'll do a little bit of
decluttering every day (or a few hours every weekend) until you've gotten through every
single drawer, closet, bookshelf and storage space in your home.
Finishing Up
When you're done, you are left with a number of full boxes. Obviously, you can toss the
garbage. You'll repair or otherwise attend to the things in the needs work box.
You've already put away the items in the put away box, except those dregs at the
bottom that are homeless. This leaves you with four real dogs:
Give Away/Sell. This one isn't as bad as it looks, because there are so many
people out there who really need and want this stuff more than you do. If you don't want
to sell it at a garage sale, consignment store or through an ad in the paper, consider
giving it to a nonprofit like Salvation Army, Goodwill, Purple Hearts, a church, a medical
charity, a battered women's shelter or a homeless shelter. Don't forget the tax break! You
can also see if your family or friends want any of this stuff. Some communities have an
official "trash-picking" day, where everyone is allowed to leave their goodies
out on the curb, and everyone drives around looking through their neighbor's junk for
stuff they want. If your community does this, this might be a good time to take advantage
of it (but don't drive around looking for more junk to take home!)
"Homeless" items. You use it and you want to keep it…you just
don't know where. Where do you use this item, and how often? This should at least get you
in the right room and tell you whether it needs to be stored in an easy-access location or
on the highest shelf. As you review these items, it will probably become self-evident
where a lot of them go, now that the rest of your home is in order. Keep in mind that you
can arbitrarily assign a spot for now. You can always move them later if you think of a
better home for them.
Sentimental. We all have some sentimental items in our lives. This is good - it
reminds us of our friends and families, of good times in our lives and of tradition. It is
not so good when we have so many sentimental items that they threaten to take over every
room. Sentimental items need a space limit. I suggest an old-fashioned steamer trunk, or
something roughly that size - a hope chest is about right. You can save any sentimental
thing you aren't using that you can cram into that container, but nothing more.
Sometimes sentimental things can be reduced instead of eliminated. Consider having that
big pile of outgrown baby clothing made into a quilt. If you have a collection of
something that you don't display with pride, take a photo of it and get rid of the items
themselves. Or be inventive. My partner Dave used to collect bottlecaps with his best
friend when he was a little kid. Several years ago, his mother moved and graced us with
bags and bags of bottlecaps. After stuffing them on a shelf for awhile (they're not the
sort of thing you can display easily or tastefully) we decided to mail them back to Dave's
friend as a sort of belated gag wedding gift. Cruel, but amusing.
As for photos, I recommend putting them into the attractive acid-free paper photo boxes
that you can buy at most photo shops. They take up much less space than photo albums, and
they make it infinitely easier to put new photos away. While you're at it, go through
those photos and toss the duplicates and the bad snapshots. There's no rule that says you
have to save every picture that comes back from the developer. Save just the good ones and
let everyone think you're a fabulous photographer.
Undecided. The worst box of them all. Go through it one more time. After all,
you've just honed your decision-making skills doing this project. Perhaps you can weed out
a few more of these items. On the other hand, this box may still be giving you panic
attacks. So we're going to alleviate your anxiety. You're going to pack this box up, and
store it in some out-of-the-way location - the basement, the garage, whatever. You will
label it only with a date one year from today, and put that date on your calendar. Over
the course of the year, you may find that you want something from this box, and you're
free to go get it. A year from now, you're going to take the box to the local thrift store
and give them anything that remains. You will not open the box, and you'll have forgotten
all about that stuff that you never used anyway.
Now relax, get some iced tea and enjoy your beautiful, uncluttered home!
About the Author
Allison Van Norman is President of Organized Solutions, a Professional Organizing Company. |
Organizing Solutions is owned and operated by Allison Van Norman.
Allison has an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and is a member of the National
Association of Professional Organizers, as well as a member of the local chapter of NAPO.
Allison is delighted to be putting her love of organizing to work in San Francisco after
several years of cubicles in Cleveland. To find out more, visit Allison's web
site at http://www.wco.com/~dpmiller/os2.htm
Copyright © 1999 Allison Van Norman. All Rights Reserved. Re-Printed with
permission.
