I’m purging and organizing at home again. It’s very cathartic. There’s a lot of stuff in my house, and I don’t want it. I don’t want the stuff, and I don’t want the clutter or the frustration. Most of this stuff is constantly in my way.
I thought I’d done a good job when my roommate moved in a few years ago, but clutter has crept in again–slowly and unnoticed. If I get rid of things again, I can make better use of the space. I want all of our stuff to be useful, organized, and accessible. Fewer things in one area (like a closet) makes it so much easier on me to keep that area tidy.
I like tidy. Tidy areas lead to productivity. Because there are so many things I want to do on a daily basis, I need a space that encourages productivity. Catch my drift?
For the past few months, I’ve mentally gone through what’s in my house and what I could do without. There are too many pairs of jeans in my drawers: donate. Too many towels and blankets in the linen closet: donate. Too many dishes in the kitchen: donate. The list goes on and on.
So last weekend I acted on it. I took some furniture to my mom, with the help of two kind and strong fellas. I posted stuff on Craigslist. I got clearance to sell some furniture that doesn’t belong to me. I took some stuff out of the kitchen to give to a friend who’s moving into a new place soon. AND … drum roll please …
I reorganized the living room! It feels so much better now: more spacious, inviting, and comfortable. I’ve found a home for some of the things I just inherited like Grandma’s suitcases, a black globe, and a shelf / table that my dad built out of driftwood. I want to be in the living room all the time now.
Now I just need to get to the other rooms in the house, including the garage. I’d also like to clear out my office: sell books, relocate a bookshelf, have a desk that’s more suitable for my computer, and get rid of a ton of junk I don’t need. I want to enjoy that room as much as I’m once again loving my living room. When the weather finally cools off I want to have people over, too. That means I need to get the garage in order pronto. Yard sale, perhaps?
I want to enjoy my bachelorette pad while I’m still here.
It feels like the clock is ticking loudly: counting down to I will move into a new home with my man. (My fiancé and I can’t wait to start our lives as a married couple. I’m so excited about that, by the way!) When we get to that point, I don’t want to take all of this stuff with me. I definitely don’t want to leave this home without enjoying it as much as possible.
So I’m hustling to get rid of what I can, and make each room as lovely as I can. It’s a slow, tedious process but I’m doing my best to enjoy it.
You know what helps? Getting cash for things that you no longer want. Getting to the stuff you want easily, without having to shuffle something out of the way, and getting control of your space so you can be creative. It’s like a part of me died when I lost my studio / work space to store things I don’t want. Every day I think about the things I want to make, and I get mad because there’s too much stuff in the way.
Visual clutter means mental clutter. I can’t work with clutter. I’m getting rid of things: sell, store, or donate. It’s a tedious, slow process. This is something, I’ve learned, that you have to do repeatedly. It’s time to (once again) sell, store, or donate every thing that’s in my way!
Want to do the same? Here are some great resources to help:
- Blog: I Heart Organizing
- Magazine: Real Simple on organizing
- Blog: Zen Habits
- Specific blog post: Obsessive- Compulsive’s Guide: Top 12 Organizing Tips, Plus Resources