Organizing problem: you fail at organizing because you’re scared of boredom
September 24, 2008 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Home & Living
It’s hard to organize if you own too much stuff. I talk about extra stuff here all the time, but I keep it up, because it’s an important point.
We’ve looked at basic clutter, useless clutter, and sentimental clutter but another type of clutter is clutter you own because of a fear of boredom – to put it bluntly.
In today’s world we have the ability to own so many choices – 100s of DVDs, CDs, and books, boxes of art supplies, 23 board games, piles of magazines, and more. Many of these items are enjoyable, it’s true, but how many extra items do you own that are purely in your home to fight potential boredom?
Here are two examples from my own home and life. I LOVE vinyl (records) and own many. I recently realized that I listen to about 25% of the same records over and over, while I only occasionally (if ever) take out the other 75% and listen. I just like having them around in case I need a choice at some point, but frankly the odds are I’ll keep listening to the same old records, not that other 75%.
The other example is books. I had hundreds of books (before I moved). However, I re-read or actively use only about 30% of them. The other books just sit on the shelf, because I like to think, well, if I get really bored I can pull out so and so book. In reality, I won’t pull out some book I haven’t read in 10 years all of a sudden – it’s not my style.
These are items I was only keeping to fight off some potential boredom – or maybe I kept them around to have more choices. It’s a waste of space though. It’s also creating extra clutter, and makes moving to a new house harder than necessary.
What might be better:
It might be nice to be bored once in a while and see what your brain comes up with. You could go outside into nature and hike, or maybe play a good old game of hangman with your kids. If every single item you own is something you love, that might be very cool. Owning too many items that you feel only lukewarm about is a clear path to clutter. When I moved this month I used this thinking to scale down both my record and book collection and to be honest I don’t miss the ones I gave up – they were just lukewarm likes of mine, nothing serious.
The next time you do a house sweep for clutter ask yourself if an item is something you love and will use, or something that’s only hanging around to possibly one day fight a boredom streak.
Also read:
Do you own extra items that are around to fight boredom, but you honestly never use them?
this is so true. i am constantly stumbling over toys, books, CDs, movie cases…STUFF.. kids stuff, my stuff, cooking stuff, even organizing stuff! maybe i keep all this stuff so that i can de-clutter when i get bored.
Somehow people think that the more they own the more they are worth as a person and yet it is relationships that create meaning in our lives NOT things we own!
I love you idea about actually being with people instead of things if you need something to do!
@txsjewels – funny; but a good point. Some people I think do LOVE to organize so much that clutter gives them a reason. However, it seems time would be better spent elsewhere.
@Beverly I agree 100%. I’s so sick of seeing how much stuff means to people. I’ve seen relationships ruined over this. It’s terrible. With all the consumerism in this society though, it’s going to take a massive upheaval to change how people think.
Stuff is safer!
It never hurts your feelings, or rejects your love! It won’t get mad at you or criticize you or put you down!
I really do believe that some people turn to stuff to make them feel good because they are afraid of taking the risk to develop relationships with people and quite frankly they do not know how to do that!
But everyone knows how to get more stuff it seems!
As you said you have seen relationships ruined over this!
Perhaps the massive upheaval to stop the rampant consumerism in the US is on its way??
We are hoping to ride out the storm here in Canada.
@Beverly OMalley I think you’re right; stuff is safer for some people. When I’m in a bad mood I turn to books – of course library not bought, but still. I do think that stuff can harm someone though, it can make you a slave to space and $, if you need too much. It’s hard to get people to give stuff up, and it seems even harder to halt the incoming of new stuff. It’s not a fun cycle.