Last week I talked about how organizing is really a process and therefore is never finished.\u00a0 There\u2019s always more to be done.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t continue the process of keeping things organized, our homes easily become overrun with clutter \u2013 in the purest sense of the word.\u00a0 We need to discover the process that will work for each of us and for each thing that needs a process \u2013 creating the routines for organization.<\/p>\n
For many people the process of getting rid of still good things can be the most challenging \u2013 especially once you\u2019ve reached that relatively organized state.\u00a0 Also, making it part of the flow of life means continual work.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do I know it\u2019s time to get rid of this?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Sometimes I struggle to get rid of things \u2013 they\u2019re not broken, or torn, or worn out, or stained \u2013 they are still quite usable.\u00a0 Yet, do I use them?\u00a0 I\u2019ve gotten to the point that if I am not actually using them and cannot imagine using them (sometimes from trying to force myself to make it usable) they go into my donate pile.\u00a0 The thing is that if you are not using it, is there a good reason to keep it?\u00a0 I find that I am using things I love and appreciate, so if something isn\u2019t getting used, it\u2019s more likely that I don\u2019t love it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t have time to drop this off at a nonprofit for a while.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If you\u2019ve ever heard me present, I talk about how we\u2019re not finished until we get the things out of our home, out of our garage, out of our car.\u00a0 This is true \u2013 if it\u2019s still in your possession you are not free from the things.\u00a0 Although this is not a good reason to stop yourself from moving things further along in the process of getting it out of your space.\u00a0 More important than being able to quickly get it out of your space is to ask how much you\u2019re accumulating that\u2019s waiting to leave?\u00a0 If you have a lot (and you get the define that for yourself), then you need to make time \u2013 schedule it \u2013 to get the things out of your space.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have time to go through [insert space in your home] to purge things.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
First, theoretically your spaces aren\u2019t in need of a major overhaul \u2013 we\u2019re talking about maintaining organizing as part of the normal life.\u00a0 If we integrate the process of organizing into normal living, we find a way to naturally purge things that are ready to go to their next home.\u00a0 If you are standing in front of your closet and recognize a shirt that no longer fits, is stained, you now dislike, whatever the case may be \u2013 pull it out right then.\u00a0 The same thing applies in any space \u2013 when you see something and recognize that it\u2019s no longer useful to you, it\u2019s time to remove it from that space.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe how much has accumulated so quickly.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
First, congratulations on noticing \u2013 that\u2019s great and means that you can take steps to deal with it.\u00a0 After noticing, the next step is to deal with it and create systems to help limit the accumulation in the future.\u00a0 This is when systems are important \u2013 a way to create a flow for things to leave rather than collect.\u00a0 From my experience, things collect \u2013 period.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t stay on top of it, the next time we look, it\u2019s grown: kipple<\/a> is the name I always think of (and wrote about).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The way that I deal with the process of getting rid of things is to have a box in one room \u2013 near a door, yet out of the way.\u00a0 Each time I come across something that is no longer used or loved it makes it\u2019s way to the box.\u00a0 Once the box begins to fill up, I spend time listing the items in the box for tax purposes and close the top of the box.\u00a0 Often I do this after I get a call from a charity that is scheduling pick-ups in my area \u2013 and I do this regardless of how full or empty the box.\u00a0 If we\u2019ve been busier with the purging, it really is once the box is full and then I evaluate whether I want to wait for the next phone call for a pick-up or if I want to drop it off myself.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a great way to help kids learn the process \u2013 put a box in a corner or in the closet and involve your kids in deciding what they\u2019ve outgrown \u2013 both clothes and toys. \u00a0I find a box placed strategically the easiest in helping the process of moving things out \u2013 whether that is one box or a box per room or per floor.\u00a0 Remember, whatever works for you and helping you keep things moving through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Clutter accumulates almost automatically \u2013 that\u2019s where creating systems for helping it flow out of your space becomes important and valuable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[10,8,18,5,22,15,4,17],"class_list":["post-1145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-organizing","tag-behavior","tag-discipline","tag-goals","tag-household","tag-productivity","tag-resources","tag-routines","tag-spaces"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7p82c-it","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1145"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1150,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions\/1150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}