Home Back to Articles Shannon Seek Author, Organic Organizing January 03 - No time to Organize? Go on a Shopping Diet! The Organic Organizing Newsletter | 6th Edition by Shannon Seek, BS, CPCC, CDS, Professional Organizer I got an idea of how much time accumulation takes when I had a fire in the mid-1990's and had to replace much of what I owned. I was shocked at how exhausting it was to drag the stuff I just bought into the house, unpack it, remove price tags, and decide where to put it. So it was no surprise to me when one of my clients, Gloria, continually had new purchases unpacked in the entry way of her home. She didn't have time to deal with what she already had, let alone anything new. Like so many of my other clients, Gloria was guilty of accumulating too much for her own good. Here are some warning signs of accumulating too much: You have a difficult time staying on top of the belongings you do have and/or You regularly feel like you don't have enough time to organize or put things away Here are some warning signs of accumulating too much, using dish soap as an example: 1) Accidental - you forgot you already bought it 2) Misplaced - it was in the linen closet, or under the bathroom sink, or in the refrigerator 3) Crowded - your cupboards are so full, you couldn't see that you already had three bottles 4) Unacquainted - you haven't looked under the sink for so long you don't want to know what is under there! 5) Overwhelmed - it is easier to buy more than to make sense of what is currently under the sink 6) Rushed - you better get it, "just in case" 7) On Sale! - you can't resist a good price 8) New - you must have the latest and greatest 9) Indiscriminate collector - you find yourself buying it before you even think about whether it will serve you Gloria had a combination of the above methods of excessive accumulation. Perhaps you can see how easy it is to accumulate more than you need, just like Gloria, unless you are committed to paying attention. (continued, above right) Back to the top (continued) Once Gloria got committed to changing, here are some helpful hints I recommended that worked for her and can also help keep you from over-accumulating: 1) Take a day, week or even a month off from shopping for "stuff" such as clothes, books, or music (Secret #1: "Get clear in your space (literally & figuratively), a cluttered space often leads to a cluttered mind" from my Organic Organizing Matrix sm/tm) 2) Have cooling off periods of 1-3 days when you feel an urgency to have something new (the more urgent, the more time to cool off) 3) Enjoy getting acquainted with your current belongings and get rid of whatever no longer serves you (including clothes in your closet that you haven't worn in X months) 4) Make a game out of finding creative ways to use what you already have 5) Save the phrase "just in case" for current tax records or for packing a bathing suit when going on vacation, not for shopping 6) Make a list of necessity items, such as toilet paper or dish soap, and use it to keep an inventory of what you have and for making shopping lists Most of all, remember, less accumulation = less to organize = more time. The ultimate question is, what will you do your newfound time? Enjoy living, I hope! About the Author: Shannon Seek is available for private coaching, teamwork and presentations on getting more focused, effective and organized. For more information, please contact Seek Solutions at: findit@seeksolutions.com or visit her coaching & consulting website: http://www.seeksolutions.com Back to the top | Home |   | OOM Store |   | Info (Newsletter) |   | Contact |   | Privacy Policy | All Rights Reserved. Copyright, Shannon Seek, Seek Solutions, 1996-2004 Marin County, San Francisco Bay Area, California (CA), USA Tel +1 415-925-8856 www.organicorganizing.com info@organicorganizing.com