How to Organize: I Might Need This Someday
How many things do you have in your home because you “might need this someday?”
It’s really difficult to let go of something you spent money on, or something you have an emotional attachment to. But those very things are the cause of so much clutter and stress.
DO I REALLY NEED THIS?
Many of our clients struggle with the “I might need this someday” syndrome. If you don’t experience strong attachment to your “stuff” it isn’t so hard. But most of us struggle with the idea of getting rid of anything because you might need it. That makes deciding what you can part with almost impossible.
It’s normal to feel like you might be wasting money by getting rid of something you purchased and might need in the future. Mentally, you need to be able to acknowledge that the money you spent is already gone, and if keeping the item causes stress, forces you to pay for storage or buy storage containers, or impedes your ability to just relax and enjoy life, it’s costing you even more.
EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO STUFF
When you don’t have an emotional attachment to stuff, it’s easier to rationalize no longer keeping it. Whether it makes a great donation, a white elephant gift, or just gets recycled, we can often overcome those urges to hang on. But when you have an emotional attachment to something, it’s really difficult to determine if you’re holding on to it because you really need or want it, or because you feel guilty no longer keeping it.
A RANKING SYSTEM FOR EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO STUFF
We discovered a really simple way to prioritize stuff in terms of value. We worked with clients who were downsizing to smaller spaces. Even if you’re not moving but just want to get rid of clutter or have more open space, you can use a ranking system. This system will have clear, concise categories to help you decide what to keep – and “someday” just isn’t an option!
I Love My Stuff This Much
Our simple ranking system is effective for many of our clients because it forces you to prioritize based on space. The ranking system forces you to ask yourself what you would keep if you were forced to live in a one-bedroom apartment or a studio. The power of this approach is that it is focuses exclusively on available space. It takes a vague concept (I might need this someday…) and changes it into a more concrete question (Will this item fit into this specific space?). If the size of the space doesn’t work for you, think about this: What you would keep if you were going traveling for a year, or stranded on a deserted island?
From I Can’t Live Without It to Why Do I Still Have It
This ranking system – or any kind of exercise that forces you to sort your stuff into categories – can be very helpful in the decluttering process. It removes the emotion from the process so that you can more logically consider the necessity of your things. And it’s ok to keep things because they bring you joy and you want them. But when you begin to realize that you have a range of desire for an item from “I truly can’t live without this” to “If I can find a way to include this I will” to “I really don’t have any use for this at all, no matter how much I love it” – you gain clarity.
YOUR KIDS DON’T WANT IT EITHER
The other trap that many of us get stuck in is wanting to keep things for the kids and grandkids. Many of us have experienced the sheer disappointment and shock of bring down the boxes of carefully preserved items from the attic and showing them to our kids, eager to see the expressions of joy on their faces. What do we get instead? “Ew, why did you keep that?” Or, “I don’t have space for that, but thanks.” So you can’t let the other emotion – the emotion of posterity – keep you from getting rid of things. You can always offer them to your kids first, but if they don’t want them, it’s not your responsibility to become the family keeper of things.
THIS ISN’T SOMETHING YOU CAN DO IN YOUR HEAD
If you really want this to work, don’t do it in your head. Do it in writing. Don’t revisit it after it is done. Don’t change the assigned rank once it is given. Once the list is complete, only change it by adding new objects to it.
There are multiple ranking systems different people can use to organize the value of their possessions. No one system will work for everyone. However, there is a system that will work for each individual person.
Finding or creating a system that will work for you might be difficult – or even impossible on your own. We can help you discover a systematic approach to organizing your belongings. We can help increase the peace you feel throughout the process. That’s why we are here.