August 7, 2008
Avoiding the "Maybe Someday" Clutter Trap
If any of the following sounds familiar, the odds are that you're a victim of the "maybe someday" clutter trap:
- Do you have clothes in your closet you haven't worn in five years because they no longer fit? Instead of giving them away do you tell yourself that "maybe someday" you'll get into them again?
- Do you tell yourself that "maybe someday" you'll finish that needlepoint you started when you were recuperating from surgery 10 years ago?
- Do you tell yourself that "maybe someday" you'll use that 20 year old wedding gift you never really liked that's sitting somewhere in the back of the closet?
The reality is that often the "maybe" never happens and the "someday" never comes and you end up with unused items cluttering your closets, drawers, shelves, cabinets and rooms. Here are some tips that will help you avoid the "maybe someday" clutter trap.
TIP #1 - LIVE NOW: Living in the past or dreaming about the future prevents you from living in the here and now. Remember, the past is gone and the future is not guaranteed. The present is all you have so focus on making the most of it.
It's fine to keep some treasured memorabilia from your past, but keeping too much may hinder not help you to live in the present. Ask yourself why you're keeping an item from the past and if it doesn't truly support your physical or emotional needs and goals in the present, it's time to let it go.
Make a written list of every project you would like to "maybe someday" get around to doing. Assign a specific date in your calendar for the execution of each project, even if it's six months or a year down the road. If by each date you're no longer interested in the project, i.e. learning to sew, pass that fabric your mother gave you when she was downsizing on to someone who can use it.
Living in the present while planning intelligently for the future is something we all need to do. Buying a great Christmas gift on sale in August makes sense, but purchasing cookbooks with the thought that "maybe someday" you'll learn how to cook does not. Put "Learn how to cook" on your "maybe someday" project list first and only buy the books when you're actually ready to begin.
TIP #2 - BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF: If clutter is a persistent problem for you, you need to be very honest with yourself about your "stuff". Do you honestly wear all those shoes sitting in a huge heap at the bottom of your closet? Do you honestly need all your old college notes? Are you honestly going to read all those mystery books again? Are you honestly going to wear those size 4 designer jeans when you've been a size 14 for as long as you can remember? You don't have to abandon the hope that "maybe someday" you'll be a size 4 again, but you do need to let go of the size 4 clothes until that day comes. If and when it comes, reward yourself with a brand new, up-to-date wardrobe. You will have earned it! In short, if you come across something you're not using, let it go so someone else can.
TIP #3 - BE DECISIVE: Clutter is postponed decision making and "maybe someday" can be just another way of putting off a decision about what to do with an item. Decide now. If you don't have a specific use for something, pass it along to someone who does.
TIP #4 - AVOID HOARDING: Hoarding - storing items in closets, cabinets or drawers or on shelves where they sit unused year after year - is a waste of space and materials. Keeping items that are still useful makes sense, but only if their "maybe someday" use is not in the far distant future. If that's the case, share them with someone who could use them now rather than waiting until they're of no use to anyone.
Be very careful about holding on to an item you no longer need because "maybe someday" something bad will happen and you might need it then. In most cases, the odds of that happening are slim enough that it doesn't justify the clutter that kind of thinking can create.
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NYC, NY 10009