Get Rid of It!

By admin|February 15, 2017|Blog|0 comments

Revolution Step #2

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The second step is to“take inventory”.  This is a biggy and there are two sides to this one so check it out….

When I was growing up, my parents had a men’s clothing store in southeast Missouri and every year on New Year’s Day, we had to do inventory.  I remember hating it so very much because we had to count everything in the store and on a HOLIDAY!  My job was to count the belts.  We had a two-tiered round rack that was about three feet in diameter with hundreds of belts…at least it felt that way to me.  At the end of the day, we knew exactly how many shirts, t-shirts, belts, pants, etc. we had to sell and in what sizes.  My parents knew what they were starting the year with in inventory.  And..they knew what they didn’t need to buy.

Did you catch that?  That last sentence is the kicker….  They knew what NOT to buy.  Sounds rudimentary, yes?  If you know what you have, then you know what not to buy.  I can’t tell you the times I’ve gone to the grocery store to get a few things and picked up something not on the list I thought I needed just to get home and find that I already had it.  You may be thinking, “Well, you’ll end up using it sometime”.  Yeah, this may be true, but the idea here is to “know” before you buy.  So, here’s challenge #1: never go to the store (including Walmart) without a list and #2: always stick to the list! If you forgot to put something on the list, you have to be positive you’re out.  That’s the deal.

Here’s the other side of this inventory idea.We’ve determined that by doing an inventory check, we know what not to buy.  But what about what we already have that we don’t use or need?  I think you’re seeing where I’m heading on this one.  Yep…it’s time to purge, clean out, give away or throw away. I wish I had a dollar for every article I’ve seen on this each New Year.  It’s overwhelming, but the truth about organization isn’t just about getting all the crap off your counters or seeing the floor of your kid’s bedroom again.

The mental health of this is huge!  Check this out:

According to a study done by Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, they determined that when your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus.  The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information.  They go on to say that it’s basically like a toddler standing next to you annoyingly repeating, “candy, candy, candy”.  Even though you might be able to focus somewhat, you’re still aware of the child.  The annoyance wears down your mental resources and you’re more likely to become frustrated.

It’s just that simple… clutter is the static that keeps you from being focused and accomplishing more of what you want.

Last challenge for this blog:  Get rid of it!!!

For some people this seems a bit overwhelming.  The task is just too big.  It’s going to take WAY too much time.  I don’t have that kind of time.  I will do it next week.  If this sounds familiar, then maybe it’s time to put a stake in the ground and start.  Go ahead… do it now…. I’ll wait.

Okay, here’s where we go from here:

Take one room and break it down into pieces (zones).  The closet is zone one, drawers are zone two and the rest is zone three.  Pick a zone and start in.  When you pick up an item, you make a conscience decision to keep, sell, donate or throw away.  You don’t set it aside to decide on it later. You assign it a “place” before you put it down.  As you pick up each item and make the decision of where it goes, you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment.

You can begin to breathe easier.  Freedom!

Once that zone is done, you move on to the next and then the next.  Then move to the next room and so on.  You’ll start picking up steam.  Your family will get nervous that they’re next.  Or better still…engage them in the process.

If you’re like me, you’d rather everyone leave.  Then put the TV on HGTV for inspiration, pour a big glass of Dr. Pepper, open a bag of chips for when I make trips through the kitchen, then get busy!!

 

 

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