A long time ago, objects were tools that were required for day-to-day survival – one needed an axe to chop wood, a knife to cut up meat, and shovels to dig holes. However, as time progressed, the world became more plentiful, and objects started to play a different role. They helped us do what we needed to do AND help us confirm our worth.
Having certain objects became a way to communicate. Our value could be tied to our things – and there was no end to the amount of things we could get our hands on. This is still true today of course. As this happens, we move from being in charge of our objects to letting them be in charge of us.
Which leads to the question, why is it so hard to limit the amount of objects we have, and by extension, let go of the ones we don’t need?
In his book, Goodbye Things, Fumio Sasaki talks about the many challenges that arise when we try to discard, edit, declutter, organize, downsize. He talks about the need to develop this skill, over time, so that it becomes a habit. Sounds like an easy enough process, but as we all know, it is not! It takes time. You don’t just wake up and decide to become a black belt karate master or cook Armenian food or speak fluent Swahili. And you don’t just wake up and decide to have less stuff.
Here are 10 reasons why:
- It was expensive
- What if I need it in the future?
- I feel guilty throwing it away
- I feel ashamed that it hasn’t been used
- I feel bad for the person who gave it to me
- One day it will fit/work/match
- I feel like I am throwing away an important memory
- My vanity is preventing me from letting it go
- It’s not the right day/time/hour/season
- It’s just easier to leave it as is
Any of these resonate? If so, you are not alone! It is human nature to prefer the path of least resistance (the easiest way to continue) and in order to get past this, we need to be more aware of a challenge and then decide not to take the easy way out.
This requires a mind shift, and in the end, we have more to gain by having less – more time, space, money, energy and freedom. If you or anyone you know wants more of any of these, contact us at Ease Up Organizing, we are here to help. Please send your comments, feedback, and suggestions to jessica@easeup.ca
About the Author
Having caught the organizational bug early on trying to “balance” things out as an elite gymnast, Jessica Tudos brings a diverse set of skills and experiences to her role as a professional organizer. Drawing from her global work as an experiential educator, author, and motivational speaker, Jessica is on a mission to empower people to lead healthy, creative and organized lives.