It goes by many different names and timelines but the idea is the same—kickstarting the removal of clutter than seems to be an issue for many individuals and families. We seem to be drowning in our belongings and have so much stuff we are spending big dollars trying to organize and store it. What doesn’t fit in our space gets moved off site.
There are more self-storage units in the United States than McDonald’s and Starbucks locations combined. Most of it isn’t because people’s homes are too small. In fact, more than 2/3 of people renting storage units say they have garages and basements. Over the last 50 years our homes have gotten bigger but people are using less spacing for living because more of the square footage is simply storing stuff.
A lot of the advice given to deal with the situation is to take small steps toward the big picture. 30 items in 30 days. 100 items in 100 days. 15-minute fling. 27-Fling Boogie. 5-minute room challenge. And on it goes. It’s all about tackling the stuff that is spilling out of our closets, storage rooms and piling up on flat surfaces.
It is projected we will spend $19.5 billion in home organization products in 2021. Think about that for a moment. Almost $20 billion on stuff to store our stuff. Not only that, but we will spend an additional $3 billion on what we already own, but can’t find.
So what is all this stuff doing to us? One survey found that 91% of people describe feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and 57% are so stressed they feel it is “insurmountable.” Psychologists say we are less productive, more irritable, and far more distracted as a result.
I love watching home renovation and design shows. Whether it’s helping homeowners sell their house or turning a disaster into a dream home, there are common denominators that designers tell their clients. One of the most important is removing clutter and editing the number of items in each room to make the spaces look bigger and more inviting.
At the end of each episode designers stage the space to look its absolute best by bringing in fantastic art, beautiful furniture and just the right touches to finish off a professional look. But one of the shows had an interesting twist in that it repurposed items the homeowner already had. They might refinish or recover something, rearrange items amongst rooms, or clear our what didn’t work, but that’s it. No new pieces added.
When the homeowner catches a first glimpse of their redesigned space, they often can’t believe that what they are looking at is their own stuff. The designer would tell them, “You already have everything you need.”
We are such consumers. We buy, buy, buy until we run out of space to put stuff, and then we become overwhelmed by how much we have and need to buy, buy, buy to solve our storage problems.
The first step is to start the clear out. We need to look again at what we have and ask ourselves if it’s something we need to keep. Consider this: organizers say that eight out of every ten things in our homes we do not use. Think about that. Fully 80% of what fills our space we never use. That’s why trying to rid yourself of 100 things may seem improbable at first, but far more doable once you really dig in and get honest. Granted, the first 100 may be the toughest, but it will absolutely get easier as you sense the space freeing up and realize how much money has been tied up in things you really didn’t have to buy.
So what’s next? Give it away. All kinds of charities rely on the fundraising that comes with selling items to secondary markets. Other organizations can take we what give and use it to help others. What we aren’t using could be exactly what someone else needs.
There’s another step that follows, and that is to think twice before adding anything to the digital cart or acting on impulse before checking out. The best thing we can do to save our money, free up our time, and enjoy our space is to ask ourselves if we really need to add to our accumulation. Perhaps the designer has given us some pretty powerful words to keep in mind. You already have everything you need. That’s my outlook.
