Organization...Are we all Hoarders??

From my parents basement, to mine.
Pretty colors rather than recycled boxes. 

Rain and attempts to get organized have been on my mind lately.  As an OT and thinking about being a well balanced adult...Organization is a must!!  So let's think about it as I share my stories as I prepare for another school year.

Saturday it rained here, so I headed to my parents basement.  Storing and collecting items is a pet peeve I have.  So I have avoided moving my childhood museum to my own house.  It's not a huge collection - a few boxes and favorite dolls.  Each time it becomes a smaller collection of things.  Hoarders would panic to watch me.  My Grandma Sharpe's jewelry, some of the childhood books I kept and crotchet baby blankets (that were mine) went to the Goodwill pile.  A car full still came to my house.  A car full - ugh :(  But I will survive.  While unloading I thought of other things I could potentially sell in my house.

Then, I realized. The only way I truly know how to be organized is to get rid of things.

Oh Thirty-One. You Got me on this one.
So Pretty.  But never used. 

I can organize a shelf so it looks nice.  I take everything out, stack things in piles to the point where I think it has easy access.  And then I live life and I am known to acquire "dropsie." I just drop things in a spot where it's not in sight...a cupboard, hidden shelf, closet or corner.  Then suddenly I have this huge pile of crap.  This happens with shoes in my closet, plastic bags, semi clean clothes, essential oils I've mixed with a carrier oil, greeting cards/pictures from people, my garage and my absolute favorite.....mail or important papers.  You know, the cable bill you pay online and don't really need to open (or maybe you should) or the insurance statement.  Usually I just take turns on parts of the house I am organizing and I wait until it gets really scary.  

I find Americans fascinating.   We all love buying crap.  Then, we strive for a clean, neat tidy house.  At least bloggers, talk show hosts, women talking a mile a minute at lunch, etc. give us ideas on being organized.  So then we buy super colorful boxes and shelves to organize. Then, we all want a bigger house to store our colorful boxes and shelves but have no money.  And we're spending time organizing, sorting, cleaning when we could be spending time on play and leisure activities.  It's a viscous cycle.  I strive to be different but I am right in there with the rest of America.  A secret....stop buying crap.

A Single Gal's Garage. "Dropsie"

Make a list of what you need for the next year.  Then, pick 3 or 5 things you want for the next year.  After that.....STOP buying crap.  I say I do this and this plan floats around in my mind constantly....but I've been caught up in American Society and the idea that I deserve this crap.   So, I'm guilty...and need to work on this.  Perhaps I'd be on the road to millionaire status.

And opps...a slight view of my financial values slipped in this post.  Which I may avoid....I haven't decided yet.

However, I do feel better when I take some time to organize and rearrange things in my home. Again, I love the sense of accomplishment.