Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Flow
One of the concepts that I find helpful in deciding what to throw out and what to keep in my own home is the what I call FLOW. I think that the oft-quoted rule of “if you haven’t used it in a year- throw it out” is somewhat over-simplified. Everything in life has cycles: you may go skiing only once every other year, but it would be foolish to throw away your ski clothes just because you hadn’t gone in 2003, because for you skiing is on a 2 year cycle. You should keep the black velvet dress that you only wear during the holidays, but you should get rid of the designer dress that you got on sale but that never feels right once it is on. You should keep the fish sauce that you use twice a year when you cook Thai, but you should get rid of the hot-pepper jelly that Aunt Sally gave you as a house warming gift in 1998 and which you have never opened. The velvet dress and the fish sauce are in the flow of your life, you do use them, if only rarely. You are hanging onto the designer dress and the jelly for emotional reasons: guilt over having made an impulse purchase and guilt because you like Aunt Sally, but not her taste in jelly.
I try to think of my home as a living-breathing organism: I don’t want it to become stagnant. If things never move and collect dust that may be a clue that they are not being used. You want to keep your home healthy and flowing. Often one area of a home, be it a closet or a room, is more prone to stagnation, people have names for these rooms: the attic and the third world room are a few names I’ve heard for maid’s room’s that have become dumping grounds for extraneous stuff. While some of this may be inevitable, it is good to try and get into those areas and throw things out and keep them from accumulating.
It is also sometimes helpful to think of your home as a business with an inventory. If your cupboards are full of canned good that have been there since you moved, or your closet is full of clothes you never wear, then you are like the corner deli whose shelves are stocked with dusty cans- but who only sells beer and cigarettes. That deli owner might be better served by putting in another refrigerator, and you might be better served by getting rid of cans and clothes so that it is easier to access what you do use. In New York City , where real estate is so valuable this is especially true. I always wonder about Sam’s Club and B.J.’s: if you calculated the cost of the real estate you are using to store toilet paper and seltzer, would you negate your savings? Of course time is a factor as well, but it these are issues worth thinking about.
Five Bad Reasons for Keeping Things:
“I could be broke when my new one breaks” (reason for keeping an old alarm clock you never use)
“I might run out” (reason for keeping cans of food you don’t really like)
“I might not find it again” (excuse for buying 6 of something)
“I should use it” (reason for keeping 3-step facial regime)
“I got it on such a great deal” (reason for keeping designer dress that you’ve never worn)
Tips for Inventory Control
- Buy Less:
- Do I need it?
- Can I rent it? borrow it?
- Is the old one really used up? (if so- pitch when new one arrives)
- Eliminate:
- Keep a bag in the front hall closet (or anywhere it fits) for Salvation Army – add to it on a daily basis
- Same for hand-me-downs or things you want to pass onto friends
- Attack Stagnant Areas:
- Purge (I always start with the biggest surface area and work my way from outer-to inner)
- Sort (like with like, whether it is a size of papers on a desk or sweaters and shoes in a closet)
- Label (this will help you “train” yourself, and also keep everyone in the household on the same page)
Out of the chaos the future emerges in harmony and beauty.
Emma Goldman
Final Thoughts
By keeping the concept of FLOW in your mind you will find it easier to buy less and throw out more. You will become more conscious of the redundancies in your life and can take steps to eliminate them. Resist the impulse to run out and purchase organizing “equipment”. Purge and sort first, and then you will see what you really need. After you have gotten organized you may find that you once again are outgrowing an area you had allocated for a specific purpose. Now is the time to go through and purge- not to run to Hold Everything for more storage.