Minimize & Organize

I’ve been working on my downsize project for years now. Let’s say it’s an on-going construction site. Since I have many ideas, I have learned to be more (not perfectly) realistic about what I can really put into practice.

Yesterday, at the END of the school year (International School), I started organizing my teaching materials into one binder. This year, I had a pile of paper in the lesson room that I was constantly shuffling through in search of … whatever. Next year, everything is going to be in ONE place so that I just reach for the binder and pull out whatever I need. I’ll email the music to the parents to print out. I’ll have one copy myself so that if (mostly when :-( ) a student has forgotten his notes, I’ll have the piece right there. Always hoping that the student remembers what he was supposed to have practiced!

The war against piles (of things) is ongoing. They sneak up on me during intense work phases. And, all of a sudden (ahem), they’ve taken over my apartment. Learning to dispose of shiny, inviting magazines has been really difficult. They look so new! I have started donating them to doctors and physical therapists for their waiting rooms. At least I’ll have something I like to read while waiting.

Here are some tips I’ve found useful for getting my act together:

MINIMIZE

How much stuff do you own? How many pieces of clothing or shoes? How many books? How many movies, or video games? How much makeup, or how many tools? What all do you possess? (I checked my eyeliner pencils the other day – I have (had) 10!!)

How many of those things do you use regularly? Do you use all of what you own? Are there some things you NEVER use?

What about that dress or suit in the back of your closet that you haven’t worn in two years? Or those jeans you’ve been hanging onto because “you might fit into them if you just lose a little weight?” (I had a brand new pair of jeans which, instead of sending them back, I kept them until I hoped to have the correct weight. Two years later, the jeans were still unworn. I gave them to my slender daughter.)

What about that book you keep because you “love it so much,” even though you have so many new things to read? The ski equipment you bought a few years ago, but never seem to find the time to get out to the slopes? What about the ice skates? If you don’t use it, why do you own it?

Sentimentality and nostalgia are powerful forces. Things become precious to us for all sorts of reasons, some of them genuine, some of them imagined.

Think about some of the things you own. Would your life be less enjoyable if you didn’t own those things? When you find yourself tempted to buy something, that filter will help you; it makes you ask “Do I need this?” and “Will I be using this in six months?” and “Am I buying this to please myself or am I buying it to please someone else?”

ORGANIZE

Have a Welcome Zone at the door of your house or flat. It doesn’t have to be elegant but it does need to be functional. Establish an area or hook for your keys and purse, a bowl or container for change and your wallet, a surface (like a small side table) to sort the mail and other items (newspapers, books, magazines, purchases) as you bring them in. You might add a small wastebasket to hold your discarded incoming materials to be recycled, and a mirror for last minute checkups.

Your goal here is to create a space that you'll want to really use each time you come in to your home to sort through the stuff you're carrying in your bags, pockets and hands upon arrival, so you stay ahead of the mail, bills and items coming in to your home and also, have smoother sailing on your way out. This also avoids the morning panic looking for keys, purse, wallet, etc.

Once the mail, reading material and items from delivered packages are sorted, put away anything else you've brought home: groceries, purchases, empty lunch containers, dry cleaning, etc. Put them away, right away! Don’t have undesignated piles messing up your Welcome Area.

Research proves that clutter not only affects our physical space, but our mental/emotional space as well. It can lead to more stress, depression, and lack of focus.

Tidy Up 10 Minutes a Day: You can divide these up into two five-minute Tidy-Tornados or a full ten-minute Whirlwind. Swiftly speed through your home and put away all those little things that you left out, opened, or tossed somewhere throughout the day or evening. This way you can reset your home each evening and start fresh each morning. Eventually, you’ll start tidying up as you finish something.

Use vertical storage:

Instead of cluttering your floor space, use vertical storage. Shelving, and wall storage solutions will help you gain more floor space and keep everything in plain eyesight. Use highest shelving for seldom used seasonal items, so you don’t have to climb a ladder or step stool often. Remember not to store things you don’t use anymore! Assess your reason for keeping, and be able to have a physical place for everything you keep. If the only place your items fit is in a box in the garage, you probably don’t need it.