Let me tell you something about Jamie Keil. She does not have the following skills:
Packing
Moving
Organizing
Throwing Things Away
Common Sense (at times)
And I would venture to guess, she isn't the only one who struggles in these areas.
Track cleats, choir heels, and THREE PAIRS of dance team shoes...all still reside in her closet (meaning they've been moved around no less than three times in the past four years). Empty bottles of perfume. Broken clocks, fans, cable cords...all still being stored in the apartment. WHYYYY. Empty picture frames, every Christmas card, thank you note, or important church bulletin she's ever received (she would argue that one, but seriously...she had an entire drawer of flyaway papers that were all 'important'...I had an anxiety attack).
I recall at one point when we've moved in the past four years...she packed tampons in the same suitcase as kitchen pots and pans.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHY.
So for the past 24 hours, I've had these 12 Organizing Commandments racing through my head. Do not argue or question me here, people. It is what it is. I am the Queen of Organizing and this may offend you...but at the end of this blog post, you will certainly be rethinking why you've kept that high school drill team jacket you haven't worn in EIGHT YEARS because you weren't sure what to do with it because it has your name embroidered in orange thread on the chest.
Answer: GET RID OF IT. Which is exactly what I did with it this week.
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1. If it's broken, and it's been broken for at least 30 days...throw it away. Just face it, you're never going to fix it (my husband is a habitual offender of this rule).
2. If you haven't worn it in the past 6 months...ask yourself why? You're allowed to keep the item in question for another 6 months, but after it's been ONE YEAR and it still hasn't been worn...PUT IT IN THE DONATE PILE.
3. When was the last time you used that miniature George Forman (or other useless kitchen tool/appliance?) Once or twice or NEVER??? DONATE.
4. Ask yourself, "Do I even like this?" If the answer is no, or you're really not sure if you like it...there is no point in keeping useless, senseless crap. DONATE.
5. ALIKE THINGS TOGETHER. Ask yourself, "Does putting this here make sense?" And then REALLY think about it. If the item you're thinking about passes the first four commandments, find it a home where it has ALIKE FRIENDS. Don't just throw those volleyball pads in the bottom of the bathroom closet because you're not sure about where else to put them, put them with your workout clothes, or maybe your gym bag/shoes. And if you haven't played volleyball since you were a senior in HS (COUGH COUGH JAMIE) THINK AGAIN ABOUT WHY YOU'RE KEEPING THEM. DONATE.
6. For the love of all the is good and holy, PLEASE utilize as many bins, baskets, and totes as humanly possible. Use them like your life depended on it.
7. Jamie says I don't keep sentimental things because I don't have a heart. Which is a little true. But here is my problem with those aforementioned flyaway papers that fill an entire desk drawer. I see two end results here...ONE. She keeps the special cards/papers for a year, at which point we have this argument all over again and this repeats itself for the next 5-20 years. Or TWO. She can throw them away now and we never have to deal with it again. I keep about 50% of the special cards and notes we get in the mail...and for me, the end result is a scrapbook. So that makes sense...find which group you fall into and START THROWING THINGS AWAY.
8. Everyone is allowed ONE junk drawer in their home. I suggest you choose that drawer wisely.
9. Are you a box collector? I happen to live with two of them. If the matching box and item have been in your possession for longer than 6 months... the box can be thrown away because it's likely you can no longer return the item to the store where you purchased it (this is where filling out that lifetime warranty paperwork and keeping the manual in an organized binder is KEY). In October and November, collecting boxes for Christmas gifts is allowed, but it is NOT necessary to collect boxes for a full 12 months (COUGH COUGH JOSH).
10. "I can't get rid of that because (insert very special family friend/neighbor/church member) gave it to me for my (insert graduation/confirmation/wedding/birthday)!" Listen...I'm sure that crocheted orange pot holder was made with love. But here's the thing. My kitchen isn't, and will never be decorated with orange as the accent color. DONATE.
11. Prioritize. I know at Christmastime, I want 8 trees, minimum, decorating our Christmas Wonderland at 422 13th St. That means I need to be organized and efficient with my use of space in the basement and books from Freshmen year of college being stored in a tote can probably be gotten rid of to accommodate more important things. In our case, those important things are Christmas trees.
12. Find creative ways to keep things you love or have special meaning, without letting them become clutter. American Girl Dolls should be lovingly and carefully packed away in a labeled tote and stored in a safe place. 30 high school Cross Country t-shirts can be turned into a t-shirt blanket and used for cuddling. Hankies from great G'ma can be framed and hung on a gallery wall for a sweet little vintage touch.
I'm not totally heartless. I just see no point in keeping ugly blankets in their packaging stored in the top of the bedroom closet for 25 years (COUGH COUGH MOM AND DAD), just because they were 'wedding gifts from so-and-so.'
And do you want to know what makes getting rid of stuff easy and fun? I give you three words:
FACEBOOK SWAP
OVERFLOW
If it's something I think would sell well on the Facebook Swap site, I snap some pictures and post it up. Give it a few weeks to monitor the activity, and if it isn't selling, to Overflow it goes. It's a great way to make a few extra bucks for coffee dates and baby consignment sales. :)
If it's not really an item that can sell on Facebook (clothes, odds and ends) I put it in the Overflow pile. Getting rid of that crocheted orange pot holders made by your Great G'ma is a lot easier when you know someone might pay 50 cents for it, and that 50 cents will go toward sponsoring kiddos in Africa. Not kidding, it's a whole new kind of motivation for getting rid of things.
If I had to add a 13th Commandment, it would be go to through every drawer, closet, shelf, desk, container in your entire house ONCE A YEAR. Twice is preferred.
Sorry okay I'm done. I've given all the organizing knowledge I have. Do with it what you will.
Now it's time to get back to helping Jamie go through her sock drawer to decide if the fuzzy pink socks she got in a Christmas stocking six years ago, should be kept or thrown away (and FYI, certain things should just be THROWN AWAY).
MmB
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