Article: Why I Gave Up Organizing

[ssmjlm]

Saw this in my pinterest feed and thought it was an interesting perspective on organizing and decluttering.  I think I fall into the trap of organizing everything first instead of getting rid of what we don't need/use.

home.yourway.net/why-i-gave-up-organizing-and-you-should-too/

I always assumed that once I grew up, I’d be organized.

In high school (as I used my full body weight to shove my locker closed), in college (as I searched through a sea of paper on my dorm-room desk), and in my first apartment (as I stepped over piles of clothes) . . . it truly never occurred to me that my future home would not be perfectly organized.

I loved reading books and magazines about organizing. I could spend hours browsing through aisles of hooks and baskets and dreaming of the day when I’d get my abundance of stuff in order.

Once I turned 35, I had to accept that I was already a grown up.

But when I looked around my home, it looked nothing like I had assumed it would. It was a disaster.

It seemed that every organization technique I’d tried . . . had failed.

Miserably.

I had piles of empty baskets and closets bursting with containers full of containers. And all the stuff that was supposed to be organized because I owned these wonderful tools? It was piled high on counters, shoved into corners, and honestly . . . covering my bedroom floor.

I finally gave up on getting organized, and it was the best thing I ever did for my home.

Instead of organizing, I started decluttering. I stopped worrying about solving problems and establishing systems, and I just purged.

Finally, I began to see improvement in my home.

I had dreamed of a neat and tidy kitchen. I got one, but not by organizing. Instead, I pulled out the five extra skillets that I didn’t really need and accepted that I never used more than three baking sheets in one day.

Once my kitchen cabinets only held the pots and pans I really did use, they had room to house the cookbooks and the food processor and the slow cookers that once cluttered my counters.

My kitchen felt comparatively organized, and our family’s life was greatly improved. Dinner-prep was easier because I had counter space. I could get to my favorite skillet without causing an avalanche.

To some people (the ones who don’t struggle with organizing), what I did sounds suspiciously like organizing.

Decluttering is a part of organizing, but I needed to separate these two tasks. As long as “Get Organized!” was my goal, I felt overwhelmed. I had failed so many times that I no longer trusted myself to come up with sustainable, long-term systems that would work in our home.

Deciding I would just declutter meant I didn’t need to solve problems. I didn’t need to stress over how I was going to maintain whatever area I was tackling. I focused my mental energy on making decisions about individual items and on removing the excess from our home.

Decluttering is hard enough. It’s gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, physically exhausting work.

But it’s worth it. After three years of living a lifestyle of decluttering, our home has changed, and I have changed. Our home is no longer a disaster, even though all I did was declutter.

[pitterwoo]

I totally agree. We've been focused more on decluttering the past couple years and it really works. I actually like organizing, but we just don't have the space to keep everything all the time so then it doesn't stay organized. Stuff has to go.

[Deleted]

I totally agree! I'm a purger and organizer both by nature. However, articles about pretty baskets, well coordinated closets etc. make me want to scream, "Just get rid of half that sh*t already and you want have a problem!" LOL.

My closets and cupboards may not be tricked out with the latest magazine spread of overpriced baskets and shelving, but I can find what I'm looking for with ease.

[electricmayhem]

I donate / throw stuff out at an alarming rate. So much so that it's really made me evaluate buying things in the first place. Something is wrong (IMO) if I can fill the entire trunk of my car twice a year to make a trip to Goodwill. I know some it can't be helped--clothes wear out, or stop fitting; I decide I will never use all of the <insert hobby> things I bought 5 years ago, etc.--but the clutter also HAS to be because I am buying too much. I'm really working on it!

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2013 11:29:38 GMT -5 electricmayhem said:

I donate / throw stuff out at an alarming rate. So much so that it's really made me evaluate buying things in the first place. Something is wrong (IMO) if I can fill the entire trunk of my car twice a year to make a trip to Goodwill. I know some it can't be helped--clothes wear out, or stop fitting; I decide I will never use all of the <insert hobby> things I bought 5 years ago, etc.--but the clutter also HAS to be because I am buying too much. I'm really working on it!

Peach made a point one day about not letting your stuff own you and it really hit home with me. I'm a purger by nature. I work a block from a thrift store and keep a bag in my car. I drop it off weekly and really made me re-evaluate what I buy after I saw the stops I was making. Some of it can't be helped. Stuff of Rubes' I didn't want to save/pass on, leftovers from past houses before we got married. Then my grandma died and I had to sort through boxes of her stuff. Some of which I decided after awhile I didn't want etc. Day to day though it really got me thinking about quality vs. quantity.

[Cheerio]

I totally agree with this and have tried to declutter as opposed to organize since we moved last March.

We have a container in our garage for plastic grocery bags. We seem to accumulate them even though we use reusable bags every time we shop. The container was full and we had an additional bag that was overflowing with bags stuffed inside it. I made a comment about it around MIL and she stated "Looks like you need another container." I immediately replied that, no, we just needed to drop off the extra bag of bags off the next time we were at the grocery store.

[electricmayhem]

I'm a purger by nature too, and for a long time it didn't even occur to me how much I was throwing away. But then last fall, suddenly, it did. The system I've come up with now--which seems to be working--is anything I want goes on a list, and it stays there for at least 2 weeks before I make the decision to buy or not. I've surprised myself with how much I've been able to say no to by doing this.

[Deleted]

Good article and I agree with it.  Like it said, decluttering is just one part of the organizing process and you really can't successfully organize a space when you have too much junk.  You have to be willing to part with things you don't need or want.  I probably do drop offs at Goodwill once every month or so.  But when it comes to decluttering/organizing, I can't do one without doing the other.  If I declutter/purge a space I have to re-organize what is left.  It's not enough for me just to get rid of extra stuff.  If I don't re-organize the space it will make me psycho until I do.     

I am an organizer by nature and actually consider it to be a hobby - it makes me happy.  I say all this but I do realize the intent of the article isn't to say declutter but don't organize.  I think the word 'organizing' can be overwhelming when you don't know where to start, and this article does a good job of breaking it down into steps. 

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2013 11:51:41 GMT -5 electricmayhem said:

I'm a purger by nature too, and for a long time it didn't even occur to me how much I was throwing away. But then last fall, suddenly, it did. The system I've come up with now--which seems to be working--is anything I want goes on a list, and it stays there for at least 2 weeks before I make the decision to buy or not. I've surprised myself with how much I've been able to say no to by doing this.

ITA with this.  I think the solution is even easier if you nip the flow of things into the house in the bud.  E-bills, reusable bags (I've noticed a huge change since places around here started banning plastic bags; we used to still get them from time to time and use them for dog waste, but now we have zero), turning down freebies that you don't REALLY want/need, not shopping just for fun.  Then even purging becomes less of a chore.  My mother is CONSTANTLY buying and saving cheap junk, and I started off that way with my first apartment, but being forced by housing costs in California to restrict my living space has really removed my blinders in this area.  I go to her house now and just feel like I can't breathe because of all the STUFF.

[electricmayhem]

Feb 5, 2013 12:11:10 GMT -5 @juno said:

Feb 5, 2013 11:51:41 GMT -5 electricmayhem said:

I'm a purger by nature too, and for a long time it didn't even occur to me how much I was throwing away. But then last fall, suddenly, it did. The system I've come up with now--which seems to be working--is anything I want goes on a list, and it stays there for at least 2 weeks before I make the decision to buy or not. I've surprised myself with how much I've been able to say no to by doing this.

ITA with this.  I think the solution is even easier if you nip the flow of things into the house in the bud.  E-bills, reusable bags (I've noticed a huge change since places around here started banning plastic bags; we used to still get them from time to time and use them for dog waste, but now we have zero), turning down freebies that you don't REALLY want/need, not shopping just for fun.  Then even purging becomes less of a chore.  My mother is CONSTANTLY buying and saving cheap junk, and I started off that way with my first apartment, but being forced by housing costs in California to restrict my living space has really removed my blinders in this area.  I go to her house now and just feel like I can't breathe because of all the STUFF.

LOL.  My mother's pretty close to being a hoarder--which I think is part of the reason why I get so frenzied throwing things out.  I know EXACTLY what you mean about not being able to breathe!  :-)

[SusanBAnthony]

I read the title, and thought it was blasphemy!

But actually I do very little organizing and a lot of purging.

[SusanBAnthony]

Also, my mil is an inspirations for me, in reverse. I wouldn't say she is a hoarder, but she and sfil live in a 2500 sq ft house and it is FULL. Like the lots cupboard in the kitchen has 7 pots. For two people, who don't cook! I was getting rid of an old pan that was fine but we just didn't use, and she took it home with her, even though she has 10 other pans and never cooks.

It was a little hard for me to transition from poor college student who will take anything that my relatives are purging, to saying no. But I am good at it now

[MrsMB]

At The beginning of every new year, we give away things that aren't special to us or that we have used within 1-2 years. It's very cathartic. I have a system where I count how many gifts I got a Christmas (including small $5 dirty Santa gifts) and make a determination to find that same number of things to give away/throw away. This year I was able to give away 25-30 different items ranging from old clothing to coasters I had in college. Taking that box to Goodwill feels great. I also enjoy knowing that the items in my home are things I WANT/LOVE/NEED. It's strangely comforting.

If the item doesNOT meet one of the following criteria:
* Special-Signifigant/Fine (like China/Crystal/Silver or jewelry)/Heirloom
* Used within the last 1-2 years
* Supports my hobbies/sports


...it's going to be considered.

[simpsongal]

I have to throw out an example ('scuse the pun)-- I think I have a play bill from every play I've ever seen. Why? Do I need to check who played the role of Marion the Librarian in the 2003 revival of The Music Man?

Toss!

[lemondrop]

Feb 5, 2013 13:04:27 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

I read the title, and thought it was blasphemy!

But actually I do very little organizing and a lot of purging.

Same here.

I've never thought of purging as something separate from organizing. Whenever I "fix" a space, my first step is to clear out and purge everything. Then I start to plan out the final space knowing what items I'll actually put in there.

I will admit that I get a little giddy when I see new organizing products or when I see a craft room full of pretty baskets, bins and jars, but my second thought is always about all the crap that I would never use.

Like Juno, I've also started controlling the amount of stuff coming into my home, and it's really helped me out.

[SusanBAnthony]

Yup, ditto pp's on organizing products. All it is is more crap. My mom got me real simple magazine for Xmas and it drives me completely batty for that reason. Yu do not simplify by going out and buying more crap! You get rid of crap!

[ssmjlm]

We've been doing a lot more purging lately. Not only b/c baby is on the way, but also b/c how can 2 people and a dog have so much stuff! Seriously it drives me bonkers.

Reading this article reminds me we need to do some kitchen purging. We have pans that we've never used, but keep them b/c they were "part of the set."

I am a frequent donator at my local goodwill.

[lemondrop]

Feb 5, 2013 14:13:22 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Yup, ditto pp's on organizing products. All it is is more crap. My mom got me real simple magazine for Xmas and it drives me completely batty for that reason. Yu do not simplify by going out and buying more crap! You get rid of crap!

I have the same complaint. Sure that {insert name of one use kitchen item} is going to save you time on that one task, but how long does it take to find and how often is it actually used?  I do have some of the one-use items, but I use them a lot and enjoy them. I'll just use my cheese grater/plane to grate an orange peel and the same with other things.