Staying organized and keeping order at home can often be quite the stressful task. Often times, we accumulate items we don't actively use and then push them to the side for the next new thing.
While rewarding yourself, investing in your home/wardrobe or expanding an active lifestyle is normal, understandable practice, it's vital to maintain a system for the existing and ask yourself it's a "necessary buy" for the new items. When purchasing, ask yourself:
1) Why is it necessary for me to have this?
2) When rewarding myself, what boundary am I willing to set up with quantity/frequency? (no adult wants to hear this but it's a must! I know, I know, we've worked so hard so know one can tell us what you do and how to do it... Remember, this is to your benefit.)
3) What is my action plan for ACTUALLY using this item??
These questions put the purchase into perspective and really challenge you to look beyond that temporary excitement and compulsive buy.
So, you've decided you want to purchase?! We've come to the toughest part and the step everyone overlooks, thus creating daily chaos in the home: THE WILLINGNESS TO LET GO.
GWK RULES:
*SUPREME RULE* Clothing: I you can't wear it three ways, leave it at the store. Home goods: If you don't already have a dedicated space and immediate used, let it alone.
1) For every purchase, let an existing item go.
2) If it doesn't fit and hasn't for more than a year, let it go (there's a little grace period for pandemic, ha, ha!!).
3) If you have run out of storage space or need to purchase ADDITIONAL storage, it's time to take inventory.
"Quantity doesn't elevate life or sense of being." It can, however, become a distraction.
Take some time and go through all of your existing pieces. Sometimes we buy emotional, because we can't readily find the item we need or because it's trendy but may not be our own personal style.
How do I start the purge process?
Disclaimer: There should be NO purchasing within this time.
Begin with a small amount at a time. I like to use a "laundry basket" or "brown box" method. It divides the workload by giving you a few items to go through each time. once sorted, the items to remain go back to drawers/ spaces and the tossed items will be bagged, removed from the space (find an area for all giveaways and tosses to reduce the change of them sneaking back in.) and immediately discarded or given away. This allows you to go through your items without feeling overwhelmed. Little by little, progress will be made!
Once You've gotten rid of unused items, new rules on how you purchase take effect. With existing items, choosing proper storage for them is key to always being aware of what you have and give encouragement to use it.
If you're waiting for a sign, here it is! Awareness and control in your daily life really is incredibly freeing. You may even find that you save quite a bit of money in the process! Don't add new on top of mountains of the unused.
Note: There are many shelters that need your unused overflow. Find your cause and help you and others!