The cool weather of fall is upon us. It’s time to reintroduce sweaters and corduroy pants into our wardrobe. A great way to decided if you’d like to keep the summer clothes you’re packing away is to describe them. Limit your description to one or two adjectives per item. For example, hold up a summer dress and say, ” You’re colorful and fun. I’ll keep you.” or “You’re drab and dated. You must go.”
Try it and let me know if it works for you.
Would you rather…
…wear a banana costume for a complete day (not on Halloween) or strategically remove all your clothes that don’t fit and flatter you?
…let go of 5 sentimental thing or let a tarantula crawl up your arm?
…thoroughly organize your junk drawer or jump off a high dive?
… have oral surgery or organize your kitchen cupboards?
…get rid of all your current tchotchkes or buy absolutely nothing for two whole weeks?
… wear a blindfold for a day or reduce your book collection by 50%?
…mow the lawn in your bathing suit or get rid of 10 items you’ve been holding onto for someday?
…donate 6 gifts you’ve received but don’t like, or shave your head?
…clear out and organize your file cabinet or tell your neighbors that you love them?
…spend $100.00 per month for a year on a storage unit or work with a Professional Organizer for 10 hours at a rate of $70.00 per hour?
So, what did you find out about yourself and your willingness to organize you spaces, places and stuff? I bet you realized that some decisions are easier than others. Please share your insights with me.
©September 2021 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO All rights reserved
If you invited me into your home could you find me a spoon? Of course, but what about a postage stamp, last year’s W2 form or tweezers? Are those things stored in a place that is easy to locate? Having a designated spot for things is the guiding principle of organization. So, treat every item as if it were a spoon and give it a designated storage spot.
Editing our possessions annually is a healthy organizing practice. This helps us prevent clutter build up. When editing our belongings there is one question we can ask ourselves to help us decide weather to keep or not keep something. That question is, “Would I buy it again if I didn’t already own it?”. If the answer is ‘no’ then let the item go.
How many pot holders do you have? How many can you use at one time? You only have two hands. So, how many is enough? I know our society has programed us to believe that more is better, and that having a surplus on-hand is required for optimal household management. But I’d like to encourage you to challenge those thoughts, and ask yourself how many you really need. What is a manageable amount for you?
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