DO YOU OWN YOUR STUFF - OR DOES IT OWN YOU?
OK. I know. You can tell me. Your place is a mess!
I see that pile of newspapers a foot high next to your chair in the living room. And the mess in your closet – shoes piled up on the floor. Your office. Where is that file, anyway? And you can’t find the top you bought last week to go with your beige linen pants. Where the hell is it? You hung it somewhere. You want to wear it today and you are late.
The pile of newspapers includes six months of the Saturday Review of Literature. You can’t throw those out because you want to read them. Of course. But when? You haven’t read one for months. (All right. You can keep the Saturday Reviews and clip the Maureen Dowd articles) But, the rest is same old, same old news. Just check CNN if you want to know what’s going on. Get rid of the rest of the pile.
Do we dare talk about your linen closet? All those old 100% cotton sheets you have had for years that need to be ironed? Are you saving them in case we need bandages for a war? Out. Those frayed towels? Handy to have in case of a flood but have you had any floods lately? They must go.
It is time.
Get some stretchable garbage bags. Big ones. You don’t have to do this all at once, so don’t be afraid. The easy part is the linen closet. There are people who need those sheets and towels so don’t feel bad about giving them away. Put them in the bag. Tidy up what is left and you are through. You deserve beautiful, lush towels for yourself. If you don’t have any, go to a discount store and buy some. They may have last years stock – who cares? - but they are still gorgeous and will make you feel nurtured and pampered when you reach for a towel after a shower. Get an extra pair of sheets. Lovely ones you don’t have to iron. You deserve it. You are the best company who will ever entertain in your house. Indulge!
Face it. Horror of horrors. It is now time for your CLOSET.
Start at the front of the closet and inspect the first twelve items. What is there that you have not worn in two years? Take those things out and lay them on your bed. Fold them neatly and place them in another garbage bag. Lots of organizers say one year but I know what will happen. You will put the bag in your car to bring to Goodwill or wherever then go out tomorrow and return half of them back to the closet. Two years you can live with. Keep some of the very dressy things that fit. They are handy to have if your have an occasion to attend – but I am talking about everything else. This cleaning out your life!
Repeat for the next twelve and the next until you have a full garbage bag.
OK. You are through for today. But you have started. Bring everything to your local charity or collection box right away. I told you. You don’t want to change your mind. The trick is to get these bags out of your life immediately.
Repeat the closet clean out again in about a week. Or sooner, if you can. Until everything in your closet is something you wear or will wear.
I met Regina Leeds, author of the Zen of Organization, a few years back and followed some of her rules. I say some because she said take EVERYTHING out of your closet at one time. Easy enough for her to say. That involves a big slot of time so I didn’t do it that way. But, if you can do it, that is ideal. It was too traumatic for me to get rid of everything at once. After all, I was sure I was going to lose 20 pounds and fit into those size 6 outfits again. I had to give up that ghost and convince myself slowly that in the unlikely event that it should happen, I would buy some new clothes in that size.
The next step is the important one. It will help you find the beige top.
Your closet probably has some space in it now so this is going to be easier than you thought. It will take an hour or so.
Regina says we should treat our closet like a filing system. All colors together. All similar things – like pants – shirts – long sleeve – short sleeve also hung together and hung up according to color. Then, you can find things.
And it is easy to keep up. I did it about three years ago and I have to admit it takes no longer to hang the red shirt together with other reds than to stick it at the end of the rod.
Why do we keep buying the same thing over and over? Because we forget what we have. Or, we can’t find what we have.
So, little by little, I cleared out my closet. I went to the Container Store and bought some little plastic shoe boxes that clip together. They are probably on their website. Yup! Just looked. Look under shoe boxes. How’s that for service?
The moral of this story is if this pack rat can do it, so can you.
I’ll tell you a secret. I still haven’t done my office. I need a shredding machine and I have this terrible fear that the IRS will come to audit my 1988 tax return as soon as I get rid of it.
But, now that I have written this all down, it is on my list. I’ll let you know.
In the meantime, invest in Regina Leed’s new book. It is just for people like us.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Decluttering by Regina Leeds I am putting it on my Book Picks list which will tell you more about it.
Very sage advice, and I hate to admit I already have color coded my closet but I am STILL a pack rat!
Regina Leeds is also a real sweetie. She suggested someone interested in scrapbooking check out my website http://www.scrapbookstorytelling.com and sign up for my ezine. I love her book! She’s fantastic–and I didn’t know she had a new one. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for responding, Joanna. I met Regina because she was a guest on my TV show. Great interview, by the way. She is a dynamo!
She is my mentor. If I could only get it together - all at once!
She has an additional book coming out at the end of the year, by the way. Check Amazon.com for more information!
Checked out your interesting site! Love it.
It was so wonderful to read this entry, Corinne, and learn of your hard work! I remember that visit to Chicago as if it were yesterday.
I wanted to make a few comments, if that’s OK.
1. Old sheets and towels are always appreciated by your local vet or animal hospital. If you’re an animal person like I am, this will make you feel really good! I drop off all of my clients old linens at my vet’s office.
When your dog or cat as to stay overnight, by the way, be sure and bring something with your scent on it…and maybe a favorite towel to line their cage.
2.I wasn’t sure which shoe boxes you purchased, Corinne, so I wanted to say my favorite is the acrylic shoe box with a pull out drawer. You can stack your shoes (in color order of course!) and see what you have. I get the large size intended for men’s shoes because it can handle ladies high heels oh so well!
If space is an issue, you can use a canvas, over the door, shoe hanging holder for your athletic shoes and store your evening shoes up on a shelf (in an acrylic shoe box of course!).
3. I do prefer to do the entire closet at once, however, I understand if one can’t whether the consideration is financial, emotional or time. It’s important to work one garment at a time.
When I read a piece and see the suggestion is to first take everything out, I cringe … whatever you decide to keep is going to end up wrinkled!
4. I like my clients to confer with their own tax person about how long to keep records. I can, however, share what my tax lady advises me. To wit: keep the actual returns forever; keep the back up material for 3 years if you are an individual and for 7 if you are a corportaion. Each state has specific guidelines….for example, here in California we have to keep such material for 4 years.
The IRS will go back to 1988 ONLY if they suspect you of fraud. I think you can start shredding, Corinne!
“One Year to an Organized Life” will be out in Janaury. Perseus is the publisher. It’s really a work of love on my part. I’ve wanted to write this book for over 5 years! The year is broken into 12 months of projects. And every month begins with a search into the past to find out how today’s space challenges were created. Next we craft a plan. Then we get up on our feet and start organzing!
“The Idiot’s Guide to Decluttering” that just came out this past May is designed to be a reference guide. You decide, for example, that today you want to organize your DVD’s and voila! you find the instructions.
My blessings to all of your readers…especially those willing to embark on the great adventure of creating an organized life.
Regina
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I am a thrower-outer par excellence at my office but at home - not so good. I am addicted to black turtle necks and in the past 15 years have not thrown out even one!! Wayne Dyer recently said it’s the 80/20 theory. We just wear 20% of the clothes we have and the rest just hang there collecting dust.
Feng shui says that when you clean out a drawer, there is an energy shift and that something in your emotional/spiritual world get uncluttered. Try it - it works. Start small or you might find yourself divorced. And this Fall I am going to go thru my turtle necks and take some of them to a place where I am sure they will find a happy home. The ratty ones, I’m tossing!!!!
Its so true that there is an energy shift when you clean out and get organized. My problem is that I start in one place but quickly realize that the whole house is a mess, then I get overwhelmed and nothing gets done. Any suggestions to overcoming this problem?
To avoid getting overwhelmed, remember this: the whole of anything is overwhelming. To achieve success, you have to narrow your focus and work in small increments. Set aside some time to get organized and decide what you are going to tackle. Forget the rest of the house exists! Rome was not built in a day, neither was any home organized in one!
Enjoy the process…it’s part and parcel of this great journey called life!
Blessings,
Regina
The Zen Organizer
Wayne Dyer is right about the 80/20 observation. I would add something from my 20 years as an organizer. A lot of stuff, especially a lot of clothing, represents what I call ‘fake prosperity.’ One peers into the closet and sees all that stuff and unconsciously observes: “Wow! I must be doing great! Look at all that’s here!” Our piles, no matter of paper or cloth, are simply unmade decisions.
Want to experience more power and control? Start making decisions! It never fails to build one’s self esteem.
Blessings,
Regina
The Zen Organizer