Very often when we get the urge to organize, we start first with the urge to go and get more stuff!  “I need better containers!  New hangers!  Different bookshelves!  Cool new coat hooks, boxes, office supplies…”  well, the list goes on and on.  Lots of people go out and buy more stuff before they start actually organizing.

I understand this compulsion, friends.  I do.    Why do we want to shop first?

• When faced with a cluttered space, of course it is more fun to think about the shiny new things in our “finished” space than to start with the hard choices, the heavy boxes, the dirty stuff!
• Buying new things can lead to tangible improvement, something we can touch and point to and say “Look at how much better this space is now that we have xxxxx (fill in the blank).”
• We may not know how to tackle our project, but we certainly know how to purchase things, either in a store or on-line.
• If we already have clutter, it’s possible that “let’s go buy something new” is our usual response to a problem.

I recently worked with a lovely client in her laundry room. As we got started, she mentioned some great product ideas for shelving units and wall hooks for cleaning supplies, and I was all set to google those ideas on my phone, too, because Yes! That sounds waaaaaayyy more fun than tackling a pile of laundry!  HOWEVER… that is not how Organizing works.

 Here’s something to remember:  almost every organizing project requires at least some purging, some “letting go” of stuff.

Instead:

• Commit to the hard work, with a clear vision of how awesome your space will be when it’s organized!
• Sort what you have.  Make decisions about what you want to keep and what needs to go away.  Actually bag up and get rid of the “go away” stuff.  Then figure out how to store what you have kept.  THEN you may want to shop.  However…
• WAIT!! Get used to your newly organized space and stuff before you purchase something else!
• Shop in your own stuff first – it’s very likely that you have what you need already.  As we organize, we may come across unused containers that we can re-purpose for our current project.   Or there are containers elsewhere in the house we can use.
• Do your research, so you don’t end up contributing to your clutter.  Invest in good quality items, only as many as you need.  Keep receipts so that you can return items that don’t work in your space.
• Do NOT buy new things that take up more space than the discarded items, or you will end up back in the same cluttered space you started in.
• Look around your own space, or talk to friends and family before you spend the money!
• If you like to shop, save the shopping as a perk for getting the hard work of sorting and purging done.
• Keep a list of items you want to purchase or obtain.  Take the list with you when you shop, and stick with it!

 

So, let me be the little voice in your ear, your Jiminy Cricket encouraging you to do the right thing.   Do NOT shop first!  Do the hard work, then decide if you need to bring more stuff in to corral your stuff!