How Do You Know When It’s Time for a Makeover?

Change is something that I usually approach kicking and screaming. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I am a creature of habit, but I am the type of person that likes to take the time to plan things out. The decision to make a change usually comes from hours of careful research, surveying practically everyone I know, and a couple of hours of procrastination which I usually write-off as time to “soul-search”.

Since planning can be such a long process for me it’s natural for me to feel reluctant about any type of change. Organizing my space is no exception. I put a lot of thought into my furniture placement and organizing systems so the prospect of changing anything seems daunting. I won’t do it unless I feel like it’s absolutely necessary.

I had this friend in high school who used to rearrange her room constantly. It drove me up the wall. I never understood why she spent her weekends fiddling with arrangements that I thought were already pretty and functional. “Yeah, but I was just getting so sick of it,” she would complain to me. “It just wasn’t working for me.”

It was kind of a revelation for me. I never gave anything in my life a makeover because I felt that making any change to a system I had so carefully and lovingly developed could be interpreted as a failure. In a way it was- I failed myself any time I ignored a way to improve my life because I wanted to avoid putting in the work of a do-over. I hated how it plagued me with uncertainty- what if something goes wrong? What if I go completely off-track?

Maybe it will. Or maybe it won’t. But it’s a silly thing to avoid change for change’s sake if it might have the potential to make your life better.

I decided to rearrange my bookshelf for the millionth time this past weekend (for my on my philosophy on an ever-changing bookshelf, click here). I was holding onto books that I had already read and wouldn’t again; papers were misfiled; and I couldn’t find anything. It was time to let go of my worry and make a change. I think it actually turned out pretty well. I was looking for something last night and I knew its exact location right away. That in and of itself is pretty amazing.

I don’t recommend making changes on a whim- if I did the same thing, I would have painted my place at least twelve more times after moving in. But I do encourage you to let go of the status quo and challenge yourself to make life easier and more efficient for you. The moment things start to go haywire is a sign that things need to change. You wouldn’t buy your least favorite flavor of ice cream at the store. Why would you put up with something less than marvelous in your home?

The secret to knowing when you’re ready for a makeover is you. You already know when you need to make the change. Trust yourself. Admit when something isn’t working. Don’t be afraid of hard work, or making the wrong decision. The makeovers that you undertake in your home, at your office- even the ones you perform on yourself- are not due to your stupidity, and they are not a sign of failure. It’s a sign that you’re invested in yourself, that having a happier, more fulfilled is important to you, and there’s no one that can take away that feeling.

And if you’re feeling anxious about it, just remind yourself of all the lovely feels you will feel once your makeover is done and you text everyone you know a picture of your rainbow bookshelf.

At least, that’s how I think it should be done.

Do you have a project that you’ve recently undertaken, or a makeover that you’ve recently been completed? I need to see before-and-after pics, stat! Share them below or send them my way at keepingbusyb@gmail.com. I’m always looking for more motivation to get projects going.

If you know it’s time for a makeover in your life and you don’t know where to start, check out all of my organizing-type posts here. Are the tasks feeling insurmountable? All you need is a rainy afternoon or a snowy evening to get started.

 

 

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The Holy List

In a world where there’s a push to go paperless, it’s easy to want to get rid of your paper-based system entirely. Going digital keeps things safe and well-preserved, and hopefully makes them easier to archive and access (providing you have a good digital filing system in place!)

As attractive as gaining the extra space might be, there are still some documents that you should keep on hand that I consider part of “The Holy List” a.k.a. “The List of Things Ye Shall Not Purge”. For someone like me who relies on a hybrid paper/digital system, there are certain documents that forever will remain in paper format. But if you’re really desperate to go digital here are some of the things that you should at least consider keeping on hand.

• Any important documents associated with life events such as birth, death, and marriage certificates
• Household/auto/medical/travel insurance policies, certificates, assessments, etc.
• Deeds, leases, rental agreements, etc. for all of the properties that you rent, own or lease
• Degrees, certifications, diplomas, awards, report cards, school transcripts, or important test scores such as the SATs or LSATs
• Original contract agreements for household and workplace employees, vendors, service providers and major clients
• Tax documents and assessments (you are required by law to hold onto these documents for a certain number of years; check with your local government as the rules change depending on where you live)
• End-of-life documents such as wills, Power of Attorney forms, funeral arrangements,etc. (It may be helpful for your loved ones to have a list of bank accounts, pension numbers, etc. to help ease the process and obtain some peace of mind.)

Notice that I didn’t include keepsakes on my list- I leave these up to your individual judgment. What makes a memory meaningful is subjective from one person to the next, and the way a person chooses to keep, store and access their memories is entirely up to them. I don’t believe in holding onto absolutely everything because I have found that I enjoy re-visiting my memories more when I can access them more easily, which for me means confining them to a couple of boxes on my bookshelf. For some people, it might mean scanning everything into a computer. As long as things are organized in a way that feels right to you, and it isn’t jeopardizing the health, safety or well-being of yourself or any others in your environment, go for it! Please just remember to let go of anything unnecessary, meaningless or painful to you now. Your memories deserve better than that!

It can be easy to get caught up in the power of The Purge (I totally identify with it here), and with The Holy List you can’t really go wrong. Trust your instincts. If you won’t use it again, shred it. If it’s something that’s going to come back to bite you in the butt, keep it, or at least make sure you have an additional digital version handy just in case.

Sticking to a strict list of documents that I should keep has definitely made a difference in my life, and subsequently increased the amount of room I had on my bookshelf, so you know what that means. I can’t say for sure whether or not this was my plan all along but my story is that the added space was a surprise, and I’m sticking to it.

Haven’t started a Purge of your own yet? Don’t delay and start your journey here. Looking for other ways to organize your space and make more room on your bookshelf? I yak on about my favorite solutions here. If there’s something that should be on my list that I forgot, call me on it below! I’d love to hear your suggestions.

The Power of the Purge

Psst! I’m so happy that this post was re-blogged on Zone Pie Online. For all the readers who’ve discovered my blog from there, welcome! Many thanks to Antonilla Monroe from Zone Pie Online for taking the time to share.

A couple of years back, I went completely insane.

Those of you who know me may debate that this happened some time ago, so let me clarify: I got sick and tired of the way that I organized things. I had just moved into the apartment where I currently live and was feeling pretty proud of myself for doing such a good job downsizing. But despite my efforts I constantly found myself rearranging and reorganizing in an attempt to cut down on the clutter.

One day a neighbor dropped by and saw my apartment for the first time. Gazing around at the massive, overstuffed bookcases that lined the walls he chuckled, “Are you operating a law office out of here or something?”

For the record, I was not but I had to admit that he had a point: my apartment was intimidating (and possibly a fire hazard). I was spending more time refining and micro-managing my system than I did on actual, productive work because of the sheer amount of stuff I had. It was unnecessary and distracting, so something had to be done.

What followed was a period of time in my life that I like to refer to as The Purge, where I made a commitment to myself to delete all of the clutter that was slowly threatening to choke me. Papers, clothes, pots and pans- even furniture and some of my beloved books- nothing was exempt from the process. It took months before I felt like my apartment was coming back together, but the difference it made on my breathing space took effect almost immediately.

Reflecting on the process is easier than it actually was when I was going through it. I had to harden my heart and let go of a lot of things that I had held onto for years because I ultimately decided those things didn’t have a place in my life anymore. Letting go a lot of stuff also meant letting go of an attitude that I had adopted long ago; that somehow owning a lot of things like papers and books was indicative that I was a well-educated, cultured person (whatever that means) and suggested a lifestyle that was rich and abundant.

It’s funny how we get certain ideas into our heads about how we want our lives to look to others. Not keeping every single draft of every little thing I’ve ever written doesn’t change what I do. Not owning a lot of books doesn’t mean that I don’t love to read. (I still own a lot of books.)

I don’t even feel like I’ve lost anything, because what I gained was so much more valuable to me in the long-term- an simpler, more comfortable lifestyle where things are easier to find, my apartment is easier to clean, and I have more room to store the things I treasure  the most and are indicative of the lifestyle I choose for myself instead of hoarding the things that represent what I think my life should be.

If you’re starting to feel like your possessions are owning you, I highly recommend it conducting a Purge of your own, whatever that looks like to you. Even focusing on just one particular area, like an overstuffed filing cabinet or crowded kitchen cupboard, can feel like an entire makeover. It’s not just about the free space and clean look you get once the process is complete; it’s about the peace of mind that comes afterwards and the control it gives you over your own life.

And if we’re going to be really honest here…we all own way too much stuff anyways.

Have you conducted a Purge of your own and felt its power? Tell me all about it by dropping me a line at keepingbusyb@gmail.com or by commenting below. In the mood to start getting organized? I’ve got some suggestions here as to how you can get started.