Making room for your life
By: Estelle Gee - January 23rd, 2007
Stuff. We all have lots of it. We worry about it, store it, insure it, clean it, obsess about it— and sometimes even love it. But at some point, stuff can start to overwhelm your ability to function efficiently. Have you lost control of your stuff? Is it controlling you? Take this test to find out.
1. Have you been severely disorganized for at least five years?
2. Has your quality of life been adversely affected?
3. Are you easily distracted and have a wide range of interests?
4. Do you hoard excess quantities of items?
5. Have you repeatedly tried and failed to get organized?
If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you may need an organizational intervention. Start with the following helpful tips.
• Establish a physical limit (e.g. “when the newspaper pile reaches 18 inches, I’ll recycle them”).
• Keep a few samples of a collection and display them beautifully. Give away the rest to someone who’ll appreciate them.
• Photograph or videotape items and then discard the items themselves.
• Cultivate discernment. Not every item has equal value.
• Remember that products don’t organize you. Electronic organizers, daily planners, and storage bins are great tools. But you must make them work for you by adopting the right habits.
• To adopt a new habit, make a 21-day commitment to yourself. It takes that long to break an old habit. Stick to the new habit and it will become second nature.
• When clearing out a space, ask yourself the following about each item: Do I like this? Do I want this? Do I use this? Do I need this? Do I have room for this? If I were moving would I take this with me?
If your to-do list is really too long or tackling it seems too overwhelming, consider getting help from a professional organizer.
Estelle Gee is the founder of Orderly Lives, a Toronto-based organizing and concierge service. She can be reached at 416-461-8018 or through www.orderlylives.net