Monday, January 6, 2014

Organizing Crap







Ok.  I know.  Not sure I should have used that title but I just couldn't come up with a more appropriate word.  Not sure what that says about my vocabulary but there it is.  

As a professional organizer I spend a lot of time talking to people about their clutter.  We go through all the reasons they want to hang on to it, all the excuses, the rationalizations, and the justifications.  In the end, I get to the question of do you love it, value it or need it....really?  These are not always easy questions to answer honestly and I get that.  I have a few things I have refused to let go of, just because.  

As a life coach, I spend a lot of time talking to people about their emotional clutter.  We go through all the reasons they want to hang on to it, all the excuses, rationalizations, and the justifications.  In the end, I get to the questions of is it helping you, teaching you or getting you to where you want to be now and in the future.....really?  Again, these are not always easy questions to answer honestly and I get that, too.  I have a few things I have refused to let go of, just because.  

All this to say, what we don't want to do is organize crap.  When you throw a bunch of things, that you have not purposefully decided to keep, into a beautiful container, you are organizing crap, it may be beautiful on the outside but on the inside it is not.  When you throw a bunch of emotional clutter into a beautiful home or mask it with something else, you are organizing crap, pretty on the outside but dark and painful on the inside.  It is time to pay attention to what you are keeping.....physically and emotionally.  Pick up each piece, ask the tough questions and decide if it is helping you or hurting you.  In the end, you want to be left with stuff that is going to propel you forward and give you room to grow.  So, don't postpone those decisions that need to be made so that your life can be lived with purpose! 

9 comments:

  1. Love it! You are so correct and over the past year have been decluttering. It is such a great feeling to sell, get rid or donate those things that no longer are serving me. Feels great! Will not organize crap!

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    1. v@....de-cluttering is freeing, mentally and physically. Keep on!!!

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  2. Yes, Peggy, thanks for the reminder to not put things in containers to keep them hidden. I have a friend who recently told me "I put my hands of everything I own." This means she actually went through everything in her home and touched it. She cleared out a lot!

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    1. That is awesome that your friend could do that. Takes a lot of patience and time but very well worth it!

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  3. Oh, I LOVE the way you ties those two things together! And you are telling my story. I wish you lived nearby; you seem perfect for helping me tackle my closet.

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    1. Oops! I meant "tie" those two things together.

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    2. Anna Jeanine.....you can tackle that closet! Little by little. Go for it!

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  4. I so need someone detached enough to look the four of us in the eyes in ask those questions. I could keep up if the clutter could truly go away, not just get shuffled somewhere else.

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    1. Carrie Ann, it is amazing what clutter robs us of......peace, time, space, etc.

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