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| Finding Perspective |
I was teaching a workshop recently and at the end, as I always do, I left time for questions. And as they often are, the questions were about stuff. Where do I store my stuff? How do I store my stuff? I need more stuff to organize my other stuff. Granted, I'm a professional organizer and usually what I'm organizing is people's stuff, so hearing about it is the norm. But what I also hear frequently is, "if I only had a bigger house..." Statistically, American homes are bigger than they ever were and we should have plenty of room to live comfortably with our things. For some reason our stuff is taking over.
I believe a big part of getting organized is finding your perspective. Going through your things and determining what to keep and what to part with is a part of it. Finding a place for your stuff is a part of it. But a big part of getting organized, that often gets neglected, is taking stock of where your stuff rates in your life. Are you spending more time than you want, simply trying to manage your belongings? Do you often find yourself buying new storage bins? Have you either rented, or are you contemplating renting, a storage unit for your overflow? This is an important piece of the organizing puzzle because if your stuff has that much of a hold over you, how can you get any kind of control over it? It becomes too powerful and then an enormous part of your life gets centered around trying to regain control.
We've lost perspective about what really matters. Our possessions have become way more important than they should be. Why does it happen? I believe that some of us end up using material items to replace something missing from our lives. Maybe we feel alone; disconnected from family or friends. Maybe we're not finding joy in our lives. Whatever the reason, the stuff has somehow crept up in importance, and simply managing it leaves less time for the things that truly matter.
So before your next organizing project, or better yet, your next shopping trip, take a few minutes and figure out what's really important to you. Try to let the stuff be just that. Stuff. Then go hug someone you love.
Happy Organizing |
