Everyone is talking about spring.
Spring is not my favorite season. I think spring, I think mud. I think baseball practice bundled in tired winter coats. Wanting warmth so badly that I break out the sandals prematurely and end up with freezing toes. Spring is being so close to being warm, but still being cold. I’d rather just be cold.
What I do love about spring is the sense of renewal. A thaw out calls for a good inventory and purge whether it’s saying goodbye to clutter around your home or office or letting go of the bad habits of winter.
I was emailing with a blog reader – if you comment on the blog or email me, I will always get back to you – and she asked for some organizational ideas for a troublesome part of her home: around the tv where video games gather.
In the spirit of impending spring clean outs everywhere, I’m sharing a few ideas about getting clutter under control. And they can be applied to just about any area that’s making you feel overwhelmed.
Step 1: The Assessment – You first have to figure out what you have. And what actually gets used. Not what was used three months ago or what might get used in the future, but what you use on a regular basis – today. It’s time to get a little harsh. Forget how much you paid for it or if it was a gift or whose feelings might get hurt. If it’s not getting used, get rid of it. For video games, I give my kids an incentive to clean them out. If they clean out what they don’t play anymore, I take them to resell their old games, and they can use the proceeds to get one new game. We get rid of three or four in exchange for one new one that they actually play. Except for video games, I almost always donate what I purge. I’m not diligent enough to deal with resale or bartering. For me, it’s rarely worth the hassle. I do every so often put a very few, select, what I call heirloom items, in storage, but this is the exception not the rule.
Step 2: Everything Has A Place – Once you’ve purged what’s not getting used on a regular basis, create a place for everything. If you have a tv console with doors, that’s ideal because you can hide away storage when you’re not using it. We have three separate containers – one for games, one for controllers, and one for figures. Since they all live hidden behind sliding doors in our tv console, they aren’t much to look at just your basic plastic bins. If your shelving is open or you’re simply working with floor space, you can find some decorative baskets and containers that have more visual appeal. For video games and controllers, I prefer something with structure that is stackable and has a drawer like this. Your containers should have some wiggle room to begin with so as you add new items, they aren’t overflowing. If you have to buy new containers, do yourself a favor and measure how much room you have before you buy. And whatever you do, once your system is in place, don’t be tempted to buy bigger containers. Be disciplined and get rid of what doesn’t fit in the containers that you already have.
Step 3: Training Your Family – This is really the secret to a good system. You have to be committed to it and ready to enforce it. I’ve committed to reminding them to pick up your remote and with time it has been seared into their brain. Having an easy, designated place to put them makes me less grumbly when I do find myself picking them up. They are also more likely to do it because they know exactly where they go. My kids are very good about putting games back in their cases because their uncle (not me) taught them how to handle the discs like they are the holy grail. And of course they listen to him which just goes to show that it can be pretty effective to call in outside reinforcements.
Once you have your system in place, you should assess a couple of times a year. Fall and spring are popular times. We use birthdays as a cue that we have to slim down to make room for new stuff. This makes it easier for the kids as they get the immediate gratification of being flooded with birthday gifts.
Letting go of things can be hard. But like anything, it gets easier with practice.
If you make a commitment to clean out the parts of your life that are feeling cluttered, you’ll feel more grounded and connected to what is really important.
What will you be cleaning out this spring?
Leave a Reply