The BEST time to purge:

Our culture likes to do 'spring cleaning' but when is the best time to purge some stuff?

Since we've moved a lot in our 12 years of marriage (like 12 times!), I've always found that I like to purge when I move.  (Or maybe I like to move so it makes me purge?!)

But what if you haven't moved in a while and don't plan on moving any time in the near future?  When should you plan a purge?

Right NOW.

Sure, you can always say "I'll do it on Monday," but there really is no better time than right now.

You don't have to wipe out 90% of what you own.  It could be one thing or one box full of stuff--any amount that you can--but just do it now.  

Simplifying has a huge snowball effect.  It's amazing.  As soon as you get started, you can see and feel the benefits, and it's sometimes hard to STOP!

You can make it silly (race your kids to fill a box)--or be totally serious (sort, sell, repeat)--however you choose, the only rule is to start right now!

If you're on Facebook, pop over and comment to let us know what you purged (post a picture!)--tag your friends and tell your neigbors--get those donation boxes filled up!

Who's with me?!  Let's get to work!

Storage Units...

I've heard that there are more storage units in the U.S. than houses.

Am I the only one who thinks that is outrageous?!

Why do we pay rent for our stuff?

Why do we keep a second location filled (to the brim) with stuff?

Why do we never want to let it go?

We move our stuff to storage, keep it in storage, look throught it to find stuff in storage, add more to it, repeat the process, and one day--move it to another location.

Wouldn't it be nice to 

NEVER DO THIS AGAIN?! 

It's possible: just empty out your storage unit and vow to never pay for one again.

Ok, so you might be thinking:

But how in the world do I empty my storage unit?  

Where do I put all that STUFF?!

You put it in its place.

Everything has a specific spot where it belongs.

If you have more things than spots, then you need to simplify your stuff.

It always comes back to simplifying.  Period.

I help people simplify their stuff and I can always find things in our house to get rid of!  Life changes and you don't need things like you did in the past.  Or you get 'questionable' birthday gifts.  Or your kids outgrow things.  Or you gave in to temptation at the thrift store.

Whatever the reason--you no longer need or use or love the items--and now you can send them on their way.

Find enough of these items, and you've cleared out a shelf, a room, or even a garage-size amount of space in your home.  Now you have room for the stuff that was in storage.  

{But if I'd have to make a bet--I'd bet that MOST of what's in your storage unit is the 'stuff that can go'...}

I know I'm constantly saying "Simplify Your Stuff!"

But that's really what it comes down to--piles of clutter, overflowing rooms, cramped garages, storage units--it can all be resolved by simplifying.

If you currently pay for a storage unit, take a minute to see how that impacts your life--physically, emotionally, and financially.

See if you can challenge yourself to empty out that storage unit.  Make it a game, make it a goal--just get it done.  You'll free up your time, energy, and money that was going into that unit.  

How good will that feel?

Stuff and Guilt.

Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has compromised his or her own standards of conduct or has violated a moral standard and bears significant responsibility for that violation.[1] It is closely related to the concept of remorse.    ~Wikipedia

What does it feel like to read that?  

How many things do you have in your house right now simply because you would feel guilty if you got rid of them?  2? 5? 100?

When we get rid of things, we're not sending away the memory that the item represents, we're simply sending the physical object on its way.  

We're freeing up physical space.  

We're creating opportunities for energy to flow more freely.

So why is it so hard for us to send things on their way?

Imagine your most prized posession.  Maybe it's in the room with you now.

Now imagine getting rid of it.  

Selling it.  Dropping it off at the thrift store--it doesn't matter where it goes, just that it's out of your life.

What does that feel like?  Does your heart sink as you envision it going out the door?  

Why?

Would you feel like less of a person without it?  Like you'd lose a piece of yourself if it's not in your posession?

Let me ask you this:  Are you the same person when you're on vacation?  When you're out of your 'normal' routine?

Yes?

Then you'd be the same person without that thing.  It's just an object.

I know--how could I speak so poorly about your ____________ {insert name here}...but if you take a step back and look at the item from an outsider's point of view, you can see that it's just that thing.

This is the frame of mind you need to be in when simplifying your stuff: As an outsider seeing items for what they really are--not the strong memories they represent--but the actual physical items themselves.  

I know it's hard.  And sad.  And stressful to make yourself do this.  

But if you truly want freedom from things, it's a necessary evil.

And you can do it.  You have what it takes.

Dig deep and get to work!

Simplifying more than 'stuff'

I like to organize and simplify 'things' but sometimes we need to simplify our lives in general.  When you hit that "everything is stressing me out" feeling, you know it's time to take a step back and evaluate your day-to-day life.

If you could watch your life from an observer's perspective--what would it look like?

Hitting the snooze button a few times, dragging yourself out of bed--too exhausted to truly be present with your kids, frantically rushing out the door, running kids to school and yourself to work, trying to play catch-up with your to-do list, rushing through lunch to finish more work, picking kids up from school and running to activities, trying to quickly make dinner (or hitting the drive-thru), finishing up more work, getting kids ready for bed, cleaning up from dinner, getting to bed too late...restless night of sleep...waking up and repeating it all over again...???

Believe me, I fall into this category completely!  The 'always doing something' category.

It's partly my personality, partly anxiety, partly 'not-wanting-to-really-face-issues-that-need-attention' syndrome.  But if I take the time to just stop--truly stop--for 10 minutes, 2 minutes, even 30 seconds--it helps bring everything back into perspective.  

When we rush from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next...and never give our minds (or bodies) a chance to take a breather, it can wear out our lives to the point of causing chronic stress and anxiety issues.  And then how do we handle that?  By doing 'more' to compensate for the feelings of being out of control.  It's weird how we, as humans, tend to do the opposite of what our minds and bodies really need.  

Stressed about weight?  We eat.

Depressed and lonely?  We shut ourselves inside and watch tv.

Sleep deprived?  We drink coffee and stay up too late.

When we can stop and just BE--just for a minute--we can focus on what we truly need.  And if we can meet that specific need--the true need--not what our craving is telling us, or our anxiety is telling us--then we can give our minds and bodies what they need and stop doing/thinking/saying detrimental things. 

But how do we find the time to stop and just be?

We simplify our lives:

Turn off the tv.

Say 'no' to things we don't really want to do.

Clear out the clutter.

Schedule down time.

Go to bed earlier.

Say 'yes' to things we really want to do.

{This may sound counterproductive--but if you can do things you love to do--it can give you energy and motivation because it's fulfilling and rewarding.}

Simplifying the 'stuff' helps us simplify our lives...but sometimes we need to go one step further and simplify our daily schedules.  

So...How will you simplify your life this week?