I am a reformed pack rat who deals with purging STUFF every day of my life! Maybe other people were born neatniks, maybe two dishes in the sink give them an ulcer, maybe they don't have a sentimental bone in their body and can wave goodbye to their kids' elementary school artwork with ease -- that, however, is not me! It pains me to get rid of stuff. I am the queen of saying, "But I could use that (insert any random piece of wrapping paper, old Christmas card, or cardstock remnant) in a scrapbook someday!"
I actually got into professional organizing because of my own inability to organize my stuff. Here's what happened: in painting the interior of our house, we moved all of our storage boxes to the garage in order to clear out closets, so those could be painted. The closets are painted, I start to move my boxes back in, and then it happens.
My husband tells me I can't put any boxes back until I look through them, purge, and organize them.
What? That's not the way it works, I tell him. I have a system in place that has served me well for years. I collect mementos, I box mementos, I look at mementos every five years. Why fix something that isn't broken?
The problem, he states, is that my number of boxes is growing, while our storage space remains the same. And now with a newborn son, what was my catch-all closet is now - drat!- the nursery closet with actual baby supplies in it. Something's gotta give.
"All right," I tell him haughtily. "As soon as you look through your stuff."
Five minutes and two boxes later, he has purged 60% of his belongings. "Your turn," he says.
And so begins the painstaking, months-long task of learning how to purge, how to organize, and how to stay organized. Believe me, it is not easy. I still have a junk drawer -- or two -- and I still get physically ill when purging certain belongings that are chock full of memories. But through this process I have learned tips, tricks, and strategies on how to effectively purge, then organize, then stay organized. These are the three essential steps you need to learn in order to be organized for life, because it's not about getting organized -- anyone can sort through and categorize stuff, then shove it into coordinating bins.
It's about learning how to stay organized, and this involves learning how to
let go of your STUFF without letting go of the memories your stuff holds.
So let me, a fellow sentimental, just-in-case-I-can-fit-into-those-jeans-again, I-never-even-used-this-paperweight-but-my-grandma-gave-it-to-me, how-can-I-get-rid-of-my-daughter's-baby-shoes-even-though-she-is-36, packrat help you become Organized For Life!
I actually got into professional organizing because of my own inability to organize my stuff. Here's what happened: in painting the interior of our house, we moved all of our storage boxes to the garage in order to clear out closets, so those could be painted. The closets are painted, I start to move my boxes back in, and then it happens.
My husband tells me I can't put any boxes back until I look through them, purge, and organize them.
What? That's not the way it works, I tell him. I have a system in place that has served me well for years. I collect mementos, I box mementos, I look at mementos every five years. Why fix something that isn't broken?
The problem, he states, is that my number of boxes is growing, while our storage space remains the same. And now with a newborn son, what was my catch-all closet is now - drat!- the nursery closet with actual baby supplies in it. Something's gotta give.
"All right," I tell him haughtily. "As soon as you look through your stuff."
Five minutes and two boxes later, he has purged 60% of his belongings. "Your turn," he says.
And so begins the painstaking, months-long task of learning how to purge, how to organize, and how to stay organized. Believe me, it is not easy. I still have a junk drawer -- or two -- and I still get physically ill when purging certain belongings that are chock full of memories. But through this process I have learned tips, tricks, and strategies on how to effectively purge, then organize, then stay organized. These are the three essential steps you need to learn in order to be organized for life, because it's not about getting organized -- anyone can sort through and categorize stuff, then shove it into coordinating bins.
It's about learning how to stay organized, and this involves learning how to
let go of your STUFF without letting go of the memories your stuff holds.
So let me, a fellow sentimental, just-in-case-I-can-fit-into-those-jeans-again, I-never-even-used-this-paperweight-but-my-grandma-gave-it-to-me, how-can-I-get-rid-of-my-daughter's-baby-shoes-even-though-she-is-36, packrat help you become Organized For Life!