But I Might Need It One Day! [How To Stop Making Excuses & Get Organized, Declutter & Simplify]

Can’t get organized? Can’t get rid of clutter? Is it because you’ve got an excuse you can’t argue yourself out of?

Maybe I can help. Post your excuse as a comment and I’ll address it in a later post in this series.

Excuse #1:
I can’t get rid of my stuff – I might need it one day!

You know what? Yes, you might. And in that case, one of two things will happen.

1. You’ll have to go out and buy it again.

And this will cost you money and time.

But here’s the thing. Keeping all that stuff is costing you way more, every single day.

It’s costing you time looking for things. It’s costing you stress and distraction and lack of clarity. It’s costing you peace of mind, and maybe a little of your spark.

It’s true, isn’t it?

Now weigh the certain, daily, cumulative cost of keeping your stuff against the the possible, one-off, minor cost of replacing it if you have to.

2. You’ll need it suddenly, without time to replace it.

If this happens, you’ll have to cope without it. Depending on the item, you’ll suffer mild to major inconvenience.

That’s a shame. But is it that big a deal?

Especially when you compare it with the inconvenience you suffer every day because of having too much stuff. The inability to find things, the frustration of family members, the embarrassment when guests come over.

If you think about the daily, soul-destroying frustration of having too much stuff, the potential inconvenience of doing without something you might one day want, seems small in comparison.

Stop Making Excuses – Get Organized, Declutter, Simplify

The truth is that you may later want things that you don’t really need now.

‘Might I possibly need this one day?’ is not the question to ask. The question to ask is: Is all this stuff costing me the simple, organized life I want?

And if the answer is yes, then let stuff go.

There may be a cost: you may occasionally have to replace something, or do without it.

There will certainly be a gain: a simpler, more organized, happier life.

Shall I pass you a trash bag?

[Image: by dreamsjung]