Space Cadette
organizing your corner of the universe
The Necessity of Objectivity
"Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices." That's how the dictionary defines the word "objective." As a professional organizer, it's easy for me to be objective when it comes to helping you sort through YOUR stacks and piles, shelves and closets, file cabinets and storage boxes. But as a person with several decades' worth of memories-many of them attached to faded flowers, yellowing ticket stubs, too-small dresses, and books-that-changed-my-life-I know that achieving objectivity is sometimes difficult when it comes to our own "stuff." I like to think of objectivity as the organizing equivalent of achieving enlightenment or a clear state of mind. It helps us see things for what they are.
Separating Emotion from the Object
It's hard to be objective about the environment in which we spend most of our time. Most of us have developed emotional attachments to the things we've chosen to put in our space, whether in our home, office, or garage. Separating our emotions from a particular object and trying to evaluate it as merely an object seems impossible at times, even if (or especially if) the object serves no functional purpose. Developing emotional attachment to objects is a common experience. Getting organized means separating and weighing emotions against the practicality of our situation.
How Much Beauty Is Enough?
Individual objects may be beautiful or unusual and bring us joy when we look at them. The question becomes: how many items do we need that fit these criteria? A wall or shelf full of such objects may not have as much positive impact on us emotionally as featuring a select few objects of particular significance.
Gifts That Keep on Giving, and Giving, and Giving
All of us have received gifts we don't particularly love or cannot use but feel obligated to keep. The emotion we feel in this situation is usually frustration or the imagined guilt that would result from getting rid of the object. Surprisingly perhaps, most people who get rid of such an object say they feel relief, not guilt. Some even forget about such objects completely after a few days, never missing them because they are reveling in newfound orderliness.
Mantra of the Organized
"Use it or lose it" is a good mantra for reaching a state of objectivity when organizing. If we ask ourselves honestly how often we really use a particular object or what would be the worst thing that could happen if we gave it away or disposed of it, clarity soon follows.
Change the Context
Sometimes it helps to physically move an object to a new location so we no longer see it in its usual or original context. Seeing an object in a different light can bring clarity about why we are holding on to it, enabling us to evaluate whether to keep it or put in a neighborhood garage sale.
Enlist a Pair of Objective Eyes
A professional organizer is the ultimate pair of objective eyes. The organizer doesn't have emotional attachment to and familiarity with the objects on your mantle or in your overcrowded closet. Someone who can ask questions that aren't loaded with history and emotion is an immediate catalyst for being more objective. Plus, you have someone right there who can remove an object if you decide it has no useful or significant place in your life.
Budget Constraints?
Enlist a friend or family member to assist if you feel you cannot afford a professional organizer. When recruiting someone, spell out their role-to help you analyze your things, not judge them. In return, you'll pledge not to direct your emotions at them. Getting the job done requires patience with each other, but the reward to you of living and working in an uncluttered home or office is well worth the effort. And remember, taking seasonally appropriate clothes to the right consignment shop, putting a record collection on Ebay, or garnering a charitable tax deduction by donating the love seat you purchased for your first apartment can be an unexpected byproduct of the organizing process.
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