The season of warmer weather is starting to beckon us fragile souls, in need of some Vitamin D and a yearning for shoes other than boots. With this need, also comes the need to clean, organize, declutter, and/or purge. I too, am minimizing parts of my space and have already rid our home of needless things.
But there is a difference between tackling a few spaces that have become unruly, and organizing the same things over and over.
If you feel like a hamster in a hamster wheel, just spinning and spinning, and organizing and organizing and feeling like it is Groundhog Day and you are sorting out the same space/things over and over again, well maybe this quote might help you:
“If organizing your stuff worked, you’d be organized by now”. -Courtney Carver
Courtney dropped the mic, amiright? 🙂
But seriously, think about that sentence for a quick moment. If organizing your stuff worked, you would be organized by now. Wow. Is organizing all of your stuff working for you? Do you feel overwhelmed? Does the thought of going to the Container Store to purchase containers to hold your stuff, send you into the panic zone?
Well maybe, just maybe, there might be too much stuff for you to deal with. Maybe all that organizing and re-organizing is sending you a clear signal that minimizing might be in your future.
Speaking from experience, it is no fun to spend an entire weekend, every few months or so, organizing all the things. Having less frees up your space, but most importantly, it frees up your time! More time to do what you really want instead of cleaning out a garage full of items that you can’t even remember putting in there. More time in the day is something we would all love to have, right?
If you had less stuff to clean/keep track of/maintain, and you now had a windfall of time, time to do what you really wanted to do, what would you do? Take a painting class? Learn to bake? Finish that book that has been sitting on your nightstand? Finally getting around to planting a vegetable garden?
Are your things preventing you from living the life you really want to lead?
If you need help answering this question, no problem! We’ve all been there! 🙂 These books might help:
The More of Less by Joshua Becker
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
The Joy of Less by Francine Jay
Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by The Minimalists
Don’t let the things you own, end up owning you! Live the life you really want to live ♥
That’s definitely a drop mic quote and probably one reason why I hate organizing so much because it only seems to last a moment. As I start my own decluttering project, I’m going to keep that in mind. It’s not just organizing but also eliminating the things I don’t need and perhaps, for me, creating better organizing routines too (i.e. instead of dumping mail on the table, deal with it and move on). 😀
Ugh, dumping mail on the counter and/or table is the worst! The problem with the mail is about 75% of it, is stuff you don’t even want to deal with so it’s simply easier sometimes to just let it sit and sort it out later. 🙁 It has gotten to the point, I don’t even like checking the mailbox because then I know I have to sort through it…
I am way more committed to purging than to organizing. Once I’ve purged, I think organizing will be quite simple. I had planned to purge over the March Break, but I haven’t been able to due to my mom’s health. Now I’m thinking I’ll do my purge of a lifetime in the summer. It’ll happen! I promise!
When the time is right, you’ll know, right? 🙂
Wow – that quote was amazing. That explains so much. 🙂 We are thinking about moving so I’m having a hard time purging. Figure it’s just better to wait for the move, yet I’m annoyed at the unorganization – or is it plethora of stuff – floating around here! You’ve given me food for thought, Mackenzie. Thank you!
You are welcome Laurie 🙂 I hope everything works out for you!