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More from Let Go Of Clutter
Why don't we get rid of stuff?
- We fear that we'll regret it later -- need the thing just after we gave it away. (Ideally, if this happens, we get over it. If we can't get past grieving for something that wasn't alive to begin with, professionals can help.)
- A biggie of mine: we regret spending money on it in the first place, and somehow feel that keeping it (in penance?) will justify the earlier bad decision.
She has some thoughts and questions about the first one, the fear of regret. I don't think that's a big piece of it for me. The second is bigger. I have a third one, which is some weird sense that everything has value and therefore shouldn't be pitched. (Why it's any better off in my house than in a landfill or recycling place is an open question. Yet I am continually slowed by my insistence on giving things to people or organizations instead of pitching the stuff.)
Project vs. Maintenance
"Life is 5% joy, 5% grief, and 90% maintenance." (one of the author's sayings.)
Getting things under control might be a project, but keeping them that way requires maintenance. (Corollary: I won't get my house just the way I want it and be done forever. *sigh*)
It feels to me like I suck at that maintenance part and can only excel during focused bursts of project time, but the author makes the point that most of us are doing a lot of maintenance things right. It's the ones we don't do well that bother us. This was a good insight for me.
Motivation
She talks about the things draining us of energy, and how to attack them. She lists a few positive ways to motivate yourself. OK.
The nugget that stood out for me was after those, when she mentioned pain as a motivator. Not making progress on something? Maybe it doesn't bug you enough! Saying "I hate having clutter but can't seem to get rid of it" says something is wrong or I'm not in charge somehow. Maybe I'd be happier saying "Though I'd like to have less clutter here, I hate decluttering and therefore choose not to do it." Wow, what a great idea. I'm sure I'll apply this to some areas. After all, I do have more pleasant stuff to do with my weekends. :-)
Next topic: paper!
Why don't we get rid of stuff?
- We fear that we'll regret it later -- need the thing just after we gave it away. (Ideally, if this happens, we get over it. If we can't get past grieving for something that wasn't alive to begin with, professionals can help.)
- A biggie of mine: we regret spending money on it in the first place, and somehow feel that keeping it (in penance?) will justify the earlier bad decision.
She has some thoughts and questions about the first one, the fear of regret. I don't think that's a big piece of it for me. The second is bigger. I have a third one, which is some weird sense that everything has value and therefore shouldn't be pitched. (Why it's any better off in my house than in a landfill or recycling place is an open question. Yet I am continually slowed by my insistence on giving things to people or organizations instead of pitching the stuff.)
Project vs. Maintenance
"Life is 5% joy, 5% grief, and 90% maintenance." (one of the author's sayings.)
Getting things under control might be a project, but keeping them that way requires maintenance. (Corollary: I won't get my house just the way I want it and be done forever. *sigh*)
It feels to me like I suck at that maintenance part and can only excel during focused bursts of project time, but the author makes the point that most of us are doing a lot of maintenance things right. It's the ones we don't do well that bother us. This was a good insight for me.
Motivation
She talks about the things draining us of energy, and how to attack them. She lists a few positive ways to motivate yourself. OK.
The nugget that stood out for me was after those, when she mentioned pain as a motivator. Not making progress on something? Maybe it doesn't bug you enough! Saying "I hate having clutter but can't seem to get rid of it" says something is wrong or I'm not in charge somehow. Maybe I'd be happier saying "Though I'd like to have less clutter here, I hate decluttering and therefore choose not to do it." Wow, what a great idea. I'm sure I'll apply this to some areas. After all, I do have more pleasant stuff to do with my weekends. :-)
Next topic: paper!
no subject
Now if I can get it through my head that it's okay to throw away a good, useful, functional object that *I* don't happen to want....