One of the barriers to getting organized is too much CRAP (Clutter that Robs Anyone of Pleasure). It’s work for your brain to filter out distractions in order to get organized, so less clutter— less distractions! To celebrate my 9th year in business, here are Ten More Myths for Not Unloading CRAP for people who truly want to rightsize their belongings. Let’s break it down:
1. “You can never have too many <your item here>.”
This only applies to blessings. Bending over a huge pile of shoes to dig through every day is no way to choose the pair you want, especially if you end up wearing the same five pair.
2. “I have a terrible memory, so I keep my stuff to remind me.”
Memories aren’t in things. And if your memories are packed away in the attic, that’s not honoring them. Also, are your old memories taking up space for new memories?
3. “My <your item here> is going to be worth a lot of money someday.”
Things are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. The word ‘collectible’ has been overused to the point of preposterous. Look on ebay to see if your item is for sale and at what price. More importantly, has anyone sold an item like yours?
4. “I can’t trust my judgment so I’m afraid to get rid of anything.”
If your knee jerk reaction is to keep something because it’s easier, trust your instincts. If you are 40 years or older, you can trust your instincts about whether you will need something or not.
5. “I’m going to fix that someday.”
Just because you can fix something, doesn’t mean you’ll have time. If a project has been laying around for two years or more, let it go, or pay someone else to fix it!
6. “I can’t trust an auctioneer to pay me what my item is worth.”
There are plenty of reputable auctioneers in our region. On the other hand, you can’t expect to get back what you paid for an item. Call an auctioneer so you can sell many items at once, but don’t expect to get rich.
7. “I have a friend I want to give that to.”
Call that friend to see if he or she wants or needs it before you give it to them. How do you feel when someone drops their stuff on your door step without asking first?
8. “I want to read that someday.”
Set a time limit for reading magazines, clippings and newspapers. Cancel subscriptions if you don’t have the time to read magazines and recycle back issues.
9. “I’m keeping that to sell at a yard sale.”
If you’ve kept items for over two years and haven’t had a yard sale, donate the items. When summer ends, donate any unsold yard sale items and begin collecting for next year’s sale.
10. “My husband won’t get rid of his stuff, so why should I?”
I work with many couples who don’t agree on how and when to let go of clutter. You can only control your belongings so get started! When the CRAP starts to fall away and your spouse sees your relief, he or she may get on board.
Clutter Quote: “Not everything that can be counted, counts. And not everything that counts, can be counted.” -Albert Einstein
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