True Confessions Wednesday: Agree to Disagree

True confession #39: I respect professional organizers, but I don't always agree with them.

Last week, I read a great article about decluttering, aimed at an audience who's in a downsizing time of life. While I didn't agree with every recommendation, I thought it was a great piece because with ten potential starting points, most of us can easily find a place to dig in.

As a voracious reader on the topic of organization, I've seen many of these tips before. Because I know organizing by STYLE works for me, I did what I always do when I read one of these articles. I put all ten of them through my I need to see it/drop and run filter.

1. Books you won't read again. Agree. Sometimes I'm successful in putting a book directly into the giveaway pile when I finish it. Other times, they languish on my shelves, taking up space until I either run out of space or review my choices in my annual Christmas purge. Either way, they go into a bag I can take to my local library, which accepts book donations -- at least when we're not in the midst of a pandemic.

2. Clothes you or your family has outgrown. Agree. Consign, sell or donate the best, toss the rest.

3. Movies and music on CD, DVD, or anything else. Agree to disagree. The article recommends going digital (good plan) and/or replacing the cases with less bulky storage. Whether or not the latter suggestion makes sense depends on the size of your collection, your storage space and, of course, your styles. While I can't argue that there are more streamlined solutions than plastic cases, I will argue that, right now at least, my storage for these items works for me and my styles and protects my investment without intruding into my home. 

4. Old, expired canned good. Completely agree. In addition, this is a great starting point because the decision is black and white. Something either is expired or it isn't.

5. Obsolete gadgets, electronics, and appliances. Agree. For these items, the question is where to take them. Most of ours end up at Best Buy, which has recycled pretty much everything we've ever wanted to get rid of. If you'd like to do more than recycle your old cell phone, programs like Cell Phones for Soldiers and Recycling for Charities recycle the technology for a cause, and some carriers will buy back your cell phone or use its value toward the purchase of a new one. If you're disposing of electronics, always check local regulations to see what can and cannot safely go into the trash.

6. Papers, please. Agree and disagree. As someone with an I need to see it personal style, I struggle to find the sweet spot between hard copies and electronic copies. When it comes to some things, I will always be a paper girl. 

7. Faded photos. Agree. While I'm not advocating a purge of photo albums (nor was the article), I know that tossing just duplicate, out-of-focus, and "who is this person?" photos would significantly reduce my photo pile. Here again, the battle between printed photos and digital copies at my house is ongoing.

8. Knickknacks and doodads-a-plenty. Agree...kind of. This one hits home for me. While part of me longs for clear spaces, the rest of me is sentimental enough to hang on to all kinds of things others would part with in a millisecond. As with anything else, duplicates (how many key rings or magnets do I really need?) and anything that takes up space without also meaning something to its owner can be the first to go. 

9. Large, oversized furniture. Agree to disagree. For me, the comfort factor outweighs the space factor. I'd toss our dining room chairs in the trash before I'd get rid of the chairs from my parents' house -- the ones that are living in the basement because there's no room in our living space for them. Definitely not logical on some levels, but when I finally sit down to relax, I want to be comfortable.

10. Anything else that's not nailed down. Agree. The writer went on to explain this as a catch-all category, rather than a literal suggestion, citing the "when's the last time this was used?" argument -- a valid question, even if it's not the only criteria for hanging on to something or getting rid of it. 

How did these tips fare in your style filter? While they're a great starting point for anyone looking to tackle the L of STYLE ("Let it go!"), the suggestions in articles like these they won't fit every style. They can, however, provide us with the nudge we need to start somewhere. 

And that's often the hardest part of the process.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Jump Starting the Let it Go Process

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Yesterday, I wrote about Let it Go! No, not the song from Frozen, but rather the necessity of reducing the amount of stuff we have in an effort to keep things organized and efficient.

Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. Here are a few keys to kick starting the process.

Start at the bottom. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but the truth is I heard it long ago on HGTV and have been using it ever since. With clothing and paper in particular, the oldest items are usually on the bottom of the pile. Outdated and forgotten, they're relatively easy to get rid of. Consequently, they can prime the pump. Once we've tossed a few things, the whole Let it Go! process just feels easier.

Pick a season. Although I mean to go through all of my Christmas stuff in the off-season and my school files over the summer, what usually happens is that the need for these items (or new versions of them) is what finally motivates me to attack the piles. As with strategy #1, tackling old stuff can be just what I need to stop procrastinating and start de-cluttering, especially if it means making way for new and improved versions.

Don't try to do it all at once. Nothing makes me procrastinate faster than feeling overwhelmed. Promise yourself you'll eliminate one pile or work for half an hour, and then walk away, secure in the knowledge that you've made progress. Maybe even play "Beat the Clock," setting a timer and seeing how many items you can toss or put away before the timer goes off.

When Let it Go! feels too challenging, it's easy to procrastinate, which is sad because we miss out on the benefits a good de-cluttering session can provide. At its best, Let it Go! can help us feel lighter as we eliminate the old to make room for the new, or to free up the most beautiful of all organizational sights -- clear space. If letting things go is hard for you, be patient with yourself as you tackle this task a little at a time.