Why Are Our Lives Filled With So Much Stuff?

Why are so many of our lives overstuffed with stuff? Buying stuff. Selling stuff. Eating stuff. Not eating stuff. We buy stuff to store our stuff. When our homes are full of stuff, we rent more places to store our stuff, so well, we can get more stuff. How can any of this be good for us?

We are told by pundits and government officials that the recession is causing us to buy too little new stuff – which is hurting the folks who make the stuff. And yet somehow, we are also told by the same pundits and government officials that we bought too much stuff to begin with, ultimately causing the onset of the recession.

We are told by environmentalists that we need to keep our stuff longer (or perhaps get rid of our stuff and get new better stuff) to be more friendly to Mother Earth.

It is all beginning to make me feel suffocated. We live in a country of great abundance – perhaps the abundance of all the stuff is a symptom of our success. Yet a recent wave of documentary/realty television is dedicated to the addiction of stuff. Shows like Hoarders regale viewers with stories of the millions of Americans drowning both financially and emotionally under the weight of years of accumulated and calcified stuff. Lives are destroyed. Homes are destroyed. And families fail. Not because of hunger or want, but because of excess. As a people, we seem unable to outrun the tsunami of stuff that follows our every move.

As a Professional Organizer, I see it every day. The past 5 years that I have been invited into people’s homes and offices to help them deal with their cluttered lives, has changed my life.

Every once in a while, isn’t there great joy in the reduction of stuff? Isn’t a trip to Goodwill (or even to the dumpster) kind of refreshing? I feel great – I much prefer the feeling of living lighter than of being tied down by stuff.

Consider this quote … the most important things are not things.

And yet, we still hang on to our stuff for a rainy day. Why? I challenge you this week to analyze your motives, emotions, reasons and excuses that you give yourself to convince you to hold onto stuff that doesn’t enhance your life.

Originally posted 2010-07-05 20:28:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Are You Chronically Disorganized?

Does your home or office regularly look like a tornado just blew through?

Do you regularly waste time looking for something you know “is around here somewhere?”

Do you have paper piles on most flat surfaces and all around your office, desk, floor or home?

Has this been an ongoing challenge for you for 6 months or more?

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, then you may have characteristics referred to in the Professional Organizing industry as Chronic Disorganization (CD).  Although it is not a medical or psychological disorder (yet), chronic disorganization can cause you real problems.  You may be shaking your head in agreement at this point, because you or someone you know may fit this description.

Chronically disorganized people have likely developed habits that are having adverse effects on their quality of life or those around them.  They are rarely prepared for meetings, appointments, paying bills on time, deadlines, finishing things they start, filing papers, putting things away after using them, or any combination of these.  They may feel they have little control over their lives, as life tends to control them. (Visit www.nsgcd.org - National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization – for a more comprehensive checklist of characteristics).

If you have children at home, be aware that organization (and chronic disorganization) is a learned skill. Children WILL develop the same habits in their life while still at home and when on their own. Is this the kind of pattern you want your children to learn from you? We all know “children learn what they live…” Your bad habits will be modeled to and assimilated by your children. How are you going to get them to learn to clean up after themselves if they live with the disorganized clutter you’ve created all around them?

A person can be chronically disorganized at work but not at home, and vice versa.  Once one gets so backlogged with mail, paperwork, clutter or disorganization, he/she tends to avoid the situation even more.  This willingness to endure the clutter causes further stresses and frustrations due to the overwhelm generated by the thought of addressing (or avoiding) the issue.

Disciplining one’s self to get organized can be as simple as taking the first step.  Ironically, this can be one of the most valuable uses of a CD’s time.  Instead they spend it compounding the problem.  In the “being busy,” they avoid attacking the situation head on.  While in their office, the avoidance is compounded by working around the piles, not realizing the stress they feel is due to the surrounding disorganization.  The vicious cycle continues until intervention is sought.

The good news is, getting organized does not have to be a painful process.  It is a matter of breaking old habits and establishing new ones.  We, as professional organizers and productivity consultants, are available to guide you through the process.  We not only help clean up, we teach you the systems, solutions  and skills that save time and help you maintain the organization.

Soon, a newfound sense of freedom and control is realized.  This rejuvenation then propels you forward, creating a positive impact other areas of one’s life.

The following tips can get you started:

* Commit to putting in a few hours at a time to get organized
* Find an appropriate place (a home) for each item
* Place papers and items in those homes when they are brought into the home or office
* Set up systems that save time
* Purge files, drawers and closets annually at a minimum

* Make a To-Do list EVERY DAY, the evening before

If you’re open to learning organizing methods and processes from reading, our ebook , Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms is 80 pages of all my best tips, strategies, and photos for getting control of your space and your life.
I also highly recommend Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern. She lays out the organizing process in an easy to follow format.

If you at are feeling overwhelmed by the thought of even getting started or are having trouble focusing on the job at hand, then I have found that it will be difficult for you get started without support. That’s what we’re her for.  We will come to assist you, or if you live out of the central Indiana area, or money is an issue, we can set up phone coaching sessions to assist you. Suffer no longer, we are here to assist you to get back in control of your home, office and your life!

It may not feel possible right now, but I assure you it is possible and it will change your life for the better. But also realize that there is not a quick fix, short of setting your house on fire. It didn’t happen overnight and it won’t be fixed overnight.

As I say to my clients, “you can’t put a price on getting your life back”, and that’s what breaking the habit of chronic disorganization will do for you.

Originally posted 2010-07-16 10:47:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter