Too Much Stuff!

"A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff."

-- George Carlin





I recently switched home insurance providers and was told that they would be sending a representative over next week to check out my house. Yikes! While we have been getting better at keeping the main floor tidy, the basement had unfortunately become less a living/storing facility and more of a half-way house for stuff that was on its way out.

So, this weekend was spent very productively with my partner, Mark, my teenage son, Daniel, and me tackling the basement. (More on this during 'Basement Month'.) I had intended to wait until that month rolled around, but the impending home inspection suddenly made the basement a top priority.

Perhaps you've faced a similar situation. Things get way out of hand and then keep on getting worse. Then, when you should feel inspired to jump right in and put things in order, instead inertia descends upon you and you feel way too overwhelmed to do anything at all. I can't tell you how often this has happened to me.

As I looked around at the chaos, I felt both embarrassed and sad to see such clutter. I didn't know how or where to begin. The clutter situation in the basement had been exacerbated because my elder daughter, Abby, has been storing all of her belongings there. She has been moving around a lot and hasn't been able to drag around the incredible mass of possessions she has collected.

I laughed out loud when I came upon a nicely taped up cardboard box with the very neatly printed label: 'Things I neither want nor need.' HA! How hilarious is that? I laughed and laughed until I suddenly had an epiphany. It was incredible. I realized that my basement was packed with a seemingly endless number of items that would match that category exactly. I simply hadn't been as honest with myself as Abby had been.

In Chapter Two, one of the things Regina stresses is that you should identify time wasters in your daily life. And she also stresses the vast importance of having everything in its place. "Whatever is used must be returned to the spot where it came from. This rule will maintain the environment."

Since I started this blogging project, I have given a lot of thought to where my problem areas are and I could pinpoint a couple of trouble spots. I realized that I often procrastinated in doing laundry in the basement because just going down there made me feel depressed and inadequate. The very opposite of a Zen feeling! I also knew that I wasted so much time every day simply putting things back where they belonged.

The more conscious of my habits I became, the more I began to see how often I put things 'almost' in the right place, but not exactly. Sometimes it would take three or four attempts to get the item back in its home. Here is a recent example: I went shopping and bought some shampoo and conditioner, some toothpaste, some soap, and some other hair products. I carried the bag from the car to the house and set it down by the front door. After I had put the groceries away, I went back, picked up the bag, and carried it into the kitchen. A little later I put the bag on the island and took the items out of the bag. Awhile after that I moved all of the products to the other end of the island - just a little closer to the bathroom. Sometime after that I finally picked them up, took them into the bathroom, and put them away. What a waste of time, energy, and thought processes!

I'm finding that making small changes really does make a big difference. For instance, in Week One, Regina suggests starting with the kitchen: never let dishes accumulate, always wash them, dry them, and put them away, then wipe down the counter. We have all been rigidly adhering to this suggestion and it has been extremely helpful, especially on weekends. It seems that just allowing a small mess to start in the kitchen has far-reaching effects on the rest of the house.

Regina is a big believer in using calendars and I am in full agreement. For many, many years I have written all kinds of things in calendars and I can't even imagine not relying on one. As I write this, a funny memory from the past comes to mind. When my elder son, Ben, was a young teen, we came to the city for his medical appointment. At the end of it, the secretary smiled warmly at Ben and said that the doctor wanted to see him again in a year's time, then she went on to mention a specific date and time. She then reached for an appointment card to write this down, but it seems that Ben wasn't watching very closely. He just grinned back with a slightly confused look, then replied, "Well, OK. But I have to tell you that there isn't a chance in the world I will remember that!"

I have been greatly encouraged by reading, "One Year to an Organized Life". I realize that I am doing some things right and that all is not hopeless. I am finding that Regina's cardinal (and simple) organization motto 'eliminate, categorize, organize' is sage advice indeed. I kept this in mind when we began to sort out the basement yesterday.

Whenever I had previously thought of starting such a project, it always seemed an impossible task. And even if I could somehow prod myself into action, I believed it would be an endless 'sentence'. But I found just keeping this 'mantra' in mind made the job easier by far.

It is impossible to organize a space when there is just too much stuff in it! But by first getting rid of everything that is clearly useless, broken, or unneeded and then simply placing like items together, I found that I could accomplish a lot without ever unduly taxing my brain. This way, when the time came to actually do some organizing, I had energy left to be able to think clearly and make quick decisions.

Regina says, "Make organizing something fun and rewarding." Well, we have certainly found that to be true this weekend. Mark, Daniel, and I actually had a really fun time together working on this project. We were a great team. We worked hard but also took time to talk and laugh a bit over some old photos and memorabilia. Daniel is thrilled that he now has a comfy, inviting space to 'hang out' - reading, using his laptop, and playing guitar. And I'm thrilled that in only one weekend we were able to create this together.

A big bonus is that we will all carry this feeling of accomplishment into the week ahead. As the weekend winds down, I feel so much lighter and less burdened than I did just a few days ago.

With my apologies to the great George Carlin, I have to say: Life is so much easier when you have LESS STUFF!!

Cheers,


Diane


Note: 'One Year to an Organized Life' by Regina Leeds can be easily purchased using the link to Amazon on the top right of this blog.