Organizing by Simplifying

With Spring coming up I bet many of you are thinking, “Spring cleaning!” Maybe not that excitedly, but still. In any case, I think that one of the best ways to organize is to simplify. That said we’re going to have a little spring simplifying along with our cleaning this year. Actually, I’ll likely talk about simplifying your life well past spring, but I like how “spring simplifying” sounds.

To clarify, when I talk about simplifying, I’m talking about ditching some of that stuff you own, or stuff you buy, or new stuff you think you need. This includes the entire family.

Why simplify your life from an organizing point of view:

It clears out the clutter and makes your job of organizing so much simpler. Not only does this solve most organizing issues, but it frees up time you can use for other things.

You can see and use the stuff you already have. How many times have you needed something, but there’s so much clutter, that it’s hard to find. Has this ever resulted in you buying two of something? That bites, right?

It makes it easy for your kids to help out with cleaning and organizing. If you consider organizing from a kid’s point of view, the task can seem overwhelming. Where to start, how to organize, and ways to stay neat and tidy probably seem impossible to a kid looking inward at a room stuffed to the max.

It makes your house look neat for company and you can clean on a moment’s notice. It’s true, the less knick knacks to dust, the less piles to move, the quicker you clean. No more worries about company saying they’ll be over in five minutes.

So far as budget organizing goes, there’s no better way to get that budget organized and in shape than by spending less in the first place. I’m one of those people who write down every penny, if you’re like me, less stuff looks appealing from a accounting point of view.

Other good reasons to simplify your life:

Your brain will feel nice and clear when you see your space clear. I’m not sure if this is true for everyone, but I think for many it is. Too much visual stimulation (read mess and clutter) in our bedrooms, living areas, and lives in general, can make it hard to focus, tough to relax, and in some case cause a panicky feeling.

Once you attach to the idea of having less stuff you can reattach to what your real goals are. I’m sure your goals aren’t to have, have, have lots of stuff. At least, I hope not. It’s healthier to focus on finding your passions in life, time with your family, and activities you actually enjoy vs. working to earn money for stuff, cleaning up said stuff, and eventually trying to get rid of or store the stuff.

If you actively simplify your spaces and life, your kids will follow suit, especially if you start when they’re young.

Simplifying is better for the environment. There’s not a real argument here, if you care about the planet, you do need to exercise control when it comes to stuff.

Of course, a major aspect and benefit of simplifying in this country, is the elimination of debt. No one like debt, surely, we don’t want it, yet people have a lot of stuff. TVs for every family member, 30 pairs of shoes, 15 cookbooks, and more, it all gets to be a bit much, on our thinking, our space, and our wallets.

What’s next:

If you’re interested in learning more about stuff for the sake of stuff, materialism, and consumerism, especially as it relates to kids and families, another blog of mine has been running a week-long series about it. They’re green related posts, because it’s a green blog, but the issue of stuff, crosses over into all parts of our lives. I won’t be discussing this side of stuff much here at Declutter It, so if you’re interested, some good posts to check out at my other blog include:

• Raising Green Kids In A Commercial Culture
• Commercials Are Everywhere
• Eco-friendly Ways to Reward Kids
• As a parent, do you understand the impact of the need for stuff?
• Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Purchases
• If you’re so against having stuff, then why show all these products on this blog?
• Kids & Shopping – How Kids Can Be Smart Consumers

Here at Declutter It, we’re going to look at the organizing side of stuff and simplifying, more so than the consumer issues related to stuff, although it really does all tie together. About once or twice a week, I’ll do a post related to decluttering by means of simplifying. We’ll look at techniques for minimizing (that aren’t stressful), ways to make choices about which stuff you need to keep, and other related issues.

What are your thoughts on stuff? Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in stuff, your kid’s stuff? Do you have just the right amount of stuff, or not enough? Let me know.

[mural photo from mteson]