What would you do if you had to move?
Our street neighbors are moving. The moving truck and storage POD have been out of his house since the early hours of the morning. Much commotion when they bring things to take away or put away.
The day is beautiful, the sun is shining brightly with a light breeze. It looks more like spring than winter. You couldn’t ask for a better day to move in. Don’t worry about the rain or the cold.
With my windows open for fresh air, I could hear their thumps and grunts as they moved and maneuvered their things out of their house toward the open doors that awaited them.
As I stood and watched from this vantage point, I wondered …
If I had to move, what would it take? How many boxes would I need to pack all my things? How many hours of preparation? What size truck would you require? How long to download and save everything?
And how many trips to Goodwill or the dump to get rid of all the excess?
I have to admit it gave me the creeps to think about it. After 17 years here, the longest I have lived, we have accumulated much more things than when we arrived.
We have managed to fill every room and closet in our house with more things than we would need in several lifetimes. Things that seemed useful, necessary and necessary as we bought or stored them.
Each room has wall-to-wall furniture. A wall would open and we would manage to fill it with another shelf, table, closet, sofa or chair.
Over the years we have changed the rooms to give them a fresh new perspective. We got rid of a much-loved sofa (can you tell it’s worn?) And replaced it with two chairs. The coffee table, which had become more of a nuisance than a necessary piece of furniture, was turned off. And he moved various pieces from one room to another, which often meant the backbreaking work of managing the stairs.
Now I wonder: what would happen if, back then, instead of handling the stairs with another object, we just got rid of it?
Much of what we have, we don’t really need or use it anymore. Our bedrooms and closets, not to mention the garage, could be scaled down to hold much less. In fact, much of what we have in our 2,000-square-foot home could be scaled down to fit less than 1,000 square feet.
So why not do that?
Good question. It’s one that I mutter to myself, as I wander around my house, opening cabinets and cabinets: “What the hell is in here and why do I need it?”
Just to be clear and not mislead, I too am a work in progress. Those who follow my weekly “Tidy Up Tuesday” on Facebook Live, or watch my YouTube videos on the subject, may think I have it all handled.
I have to laugh at the idea, because here is the real truth …
You have never finished.
The process of cleaning, purifying, ordering and organizing the mess is a DAILY task, routine and commitment. There is no “one and done” when it comes to your stuff.
Even if you were to narrow down your holdings to 52 items (as some minimalists do), you still have to decide at all times what those 52 items will be. What if a new interest or article arises? What are you going to give up for having it? What are you going to throw away? What will you stay? Or now will you turn it into 53 articles?
Most of us would simply increase the number of items that we own or currently own.
If you’re ready to cut down on your stuff, here’s where I would guide you to get started: Visualize.
Yes, even before taking an action to purge, sort, and organize, visualize how you want that area to look when it’s ready.
Don’t go shopping for containers. Don’t build more shelves. Don’t throw indiscriminately. Do not put it in a closet or move it to another room.
Stop. Take a deep breath and decide what you really want there. What would be the ideal? What’s its purpose?
And, keep in mind, the most important thing: tidying up is a daily task that requires vision, concentration, intention and diligence.
But, for now, just for today, let’s start with your vision.