If you plan on successfully getting organized, one of the key elements is to sort and go through your belongings. It sounds so easy, but for many of us, this actually is the most difficult part of organizing.
As humans we tend to bring life into our objects. They become more to us than just the item themselves. We attach memories, ideas, thoughts, feelings, no matter if they are good or bad, we tend to want to hold on.
It’s important to understand the sorting process is the most time consuming and most emotionally draining part of the process. You are walking down memory lane and this can take a toll on you emotionally. You are picking up, reading, and evaluating all of your belongings. You are making difficult decisions on whether something should go or stay, deciding what this item really means to you. You have to think, remember and decide.
I have heard many reasons of why something should stay in a home. Most of the time, it’s because they could use it someday, so and so it gave it me and I would feel bad getting rid of it, I paid good money for it, etc. Do these sound familiar? Believe me I have said them too!
What I recommend to my clients while they are sorting is to always remember what your goal is in the first place. If it’s to create more space, you need to let go to create the space, if it’s to live in the present, you need to let go of the past, if it’s to live a more organized and more fulfilled life, then you need to let go of what’s holding you back. Often times the clutter around us is holding us back from living the life we want.
Here are some key questions to ask when sorting:
1) When was the last time I really used this?
2) Do I still need it?
3) What does this mean to me?
4) Do I love it? Does it bring me joy?
5) Is this item replaceable?
6) Could someone use this more than me?
7) If I do decide to keep, where will it go in my home?
Be patient during the process, if you need to walk away, walk away. I will tell my clients, if you really can’t decide, put it away and come back to it later. The process takes time and it’s not always easy, but in the end it is always worth it!
Happy Organizing!
