The” Deadly Too Combo”

Earlier, I mentioned the combo that causes folks to become overwhelmed by chaos in their home or business:
Too much stuff
Too little available space
Too little time

It is tough enough to handle one of these problems without help but, when the three converge, it is a challenge that can be ranked right up there with the labors of Hercules. Unlike Hercules, most of us cannot count on our great physical prowess or intervention from the gods to get us out of the mess we are in. There are however a few considerations that can help tackle the problems.

Too Much Stuff

No matter how hard you try, you cannot get a quart of liquid into a pint jar without the jar overflowing. The same is true with any physical space. You can carefully pile stuff up to the ceiling over every available square inch of floor space until you can only stand in the doorway and admire your carefully constructed obstacle, but after that you cannot get anything else in the room. It is a finite space in spite of your infinite capacity to accumulate.

The only solution is to redistribute the stuff. The headline of an article on cluttering in a local newspaper recently read, “If it is not beautiful, useful or loved, get rid of it” I don’t know about you, but I consider everything I choose to keep useful. It may not always pass the beautiful test, but I always think I know exactly how I will use it when I decide to keep it. Then I put it away and never get around to the project. A good example of this is the iron on patches I purchased on sale for my son’s jeans that I finally discarded five years later, unopened and unused. (He outgrew the “popping knees out of your pants” phase and that culprit “too little time” got in the way-but I will get to that later).

I would amend that headline to read “If it is not immediately useful, immensely beautiful or passionately loved, get rid of it. Otherwise I, and thousands of others, would make no headway in purging closets and attics and spare rooms of our wonderful possessions.

When it is time to tackle the too much stuff problem, get ready.
Set a goal for the day and the week. Example: I am going to clean out a drawer in the tool chest today and complete the chest by the end of the week.

Designate a box or bag (or tarp if you like those TV shows) for keep, trash, give away, relocate. I like to use a trash bag for trash so I don’t have to handle it once I have made the decision. I tie it up and throw it out. I like an area for relocate because I always find things that belong somewhere else. If they are in a convenient tote, I can put them where they belong before I consider the task completed.

Give yourself enough time to complete the goal without becoming tired or discouraged. In our experience, most people tire after about three hours of a purge task.

Now simply apply the S Steps
Simple Goals
Systems for Getting it Done
Schedule to Complete the Task
Self Discipline to Keep Gooing Until the Task is Complete.

Some folks can get rid of stuff without assistance from an outside source. Others benefit from having an objective person act as a guide and sounding board during the process. An honest friend or a professional organizer can ask tough questions and help you make good decisions about what to hold on to. They can help you stick to your plan and achieve your goals for a more organized life.