The Price of Your Possessions is TIME

Like so many, I have a love/hate relationship with the things that I own … aka – all my stuff.

Every piece is either something I use, something I might need one day, or the hardest of all – a memory.

And then this happened – my mother sadly passed away after a long illness. Over the following year I spent many, many days/weeks/months helping my dad go through decades of things. So many things.

Inside one closet, I found a set of pristine hand towels with a beautiful cross stitched design that I had made for my mom at least 20 years ago. There they were, completely unused because they were “too nice” for everyday. (I now realize that I need a photo of those actual towels which I will add to this post as soon as I get it!)

Why Organizing Is My Passion

That is when I knew that I had to approach my own possessions from a different perspective.

I am not dishing on my parents because their situation is quite typical of most of our homes. We buy things, use them, and instead of replacing them we keep the stuff and then add more.

And then we spend our precious time figuring out how to declutter, organize, record, donate, and dispose of it all. This is time we could be spending enjoying the present moment and creating new memories instead of dealing with the things of the past.

Surround Yourself With Things You Love

As much as I like the concept of keeping a minimalistic home – I do like having beautiful things. I enjoy shopping, decorating, and to some extent crafting.

But the key is to find a balance and to let go of things that no longer serve you.

Yes, it might still be “good” and have lots of life left – but if you don’t need it, use it, or want it then it will become a burden to keep and maintain.

The space that something takes up could better be used by something that – to quote Marie Kondo – “brings you joy”.

My Once and Done Approach to Organizing

I learned a few big lessons from the process of helping my dad downsize.

The first is that I don’t want to leave my own mess behind for my kids. So, I want to deal with my own possessions right now. My memories are not their memories.

Second, is that I don’t want to spend a lot of time figuring out what to do with my stuff. When I declutter an area, I need to make quick decisions and not revisit my choices. My time is better spent doing things I love to do – focusing on health and wellness, reading, working on my business, reading, and spending time with people I love.

Third, let go of perfection. Things don’t have to be perfect or Pinterest worthy. Again it comes back to time because once time is gone, you can’t get it back.

Today It Is From The Heart

I know today’s post is not quite typical of what I write. But in my heart I feel so strongly that the clutter in our homes can cause us to miss out on some of life’s finer moments.

So, even though I am all about organizing, the most important step comes before you even get started. If you don’t want it, need it, or use it – don’t waste your time figuring out how to store it.

Let it go and make space in your life for something new.