Thoughts on the Introduction of Organize Now! by Jennifer Ford Berry
You know what they say. Never waste a [Saturday morning] on a [grocery run]. So there I was (at Half Priced Books 💛), in my [Birkenstocks] with my hair [up in a pony tail so my newborn wouldn’t pull it]… –Chappell Roan, probably.
Great song btw.
I took my girls to Half Priced Books up on Bethel Road this morning, hoping to find some books for a 2 year old’s birthday party. Who else gets really excited in book stores? There’s something magical about imagining what secrets a book could hold. It’s fun to browse the different organized sections at Half Priced, especially, because you never quite know what you’ll find. It’s a bit of a thrift thrill, which I live for… obviously.
We scored some perfect toddler stories (Little Critter anthology!). But I also found a little gem for myself in the cleaning (lol) section! It’s a little green organizing book, originally published in 2008, called “Organize Now!”. And it is so cool.
The Cost of Clutter: A real argument for decluttering and getting organized.
I squeezed in the introduction today during naptime and am hooked. Berry gives some real food for thought zas to why organizing is essential to living a happy life. I very much agree, as organizing my home has changed my life for the better! She definitely comes across as passionate for her profession, as she dives into why she believes in decluttering, holding onto less stuff, and finding creative, functional organizational systems for your home. In short, the introduction isn’t just fluff or filler. There are important concepts to digest in just the first pages!
I’m drawn to a section in the introduction on page 14 and 15, titled “The Cost of Clutter”. It reads:
“You know clutter is a bad thing, but did you ever stop to think about all of its negative effects?
- Clutter causes you to feel overwhelmed or depressed.
- Clutter robs you of energy.
- Clutter steals 50 percent of your storage space.
- Clutter makes life harder. You have to look longer, travel farther and dig deeper to find what you’re looking for.
- Clutter takes longer to clean.
- Clutter costs you money. If you can’t find what you need, you will have to buy a replacement. Or, you may be paying to store your clutter.
- Clutter makes it hard to think straight.
- Clutter may affect how you feel about yourself. You may be self-conscious or feel guilty about your clutter.
- Clutter can affect your relationships. For example, if you feel ashamed of your cluttered house, you may be less likely to invite friends or family for visits.
- Clutter takes away the peace and beauty from a home.
Organizing your life can be an overwhelming experience. But if you let clutter continue to pile up, it will drain your energy. Take a minute to try this exercise: Focus on a cluttered area in your home. How do you feel when you look at this? Stressed? Overwhelmed? Depressed? Getting organized will help you feel better emotionally and physically.”
The Cost of Clutter: My two cents.
Is the Language Arts teacher in me showing yet?
Okay so that’s a lot of bullet points! Now, there aren’t any footnotes on these pages so I’m not sure how much research was done to come to some of these conclusions. I do think, though, the point is still made!
Clutter can be a real struggle in my household. My husband is an amazing artist who is diagnosed with ADHD so he definitely doesn’t think about organizing the way I do! Add a toddler to the mix and WOW- if I didn’t have good organizational systems in place I think my living room would always be cluttered! So I really resonate with most of the bullet points listed above. Some that stand out are “Clutter robs you of energy” and “Clutter makes it hard to think straight”.
When my space is cluttered, undoubtably so is my mind. I think this is because I’m realizing I have work to do in the space in order to unclutter it. Examples of my thoughts when this happens are, “Ugh I need to spray May’s stained shirt that’s on the floor” (which then leads to a laundry task spiral) or “What is that Save-the-Date for? Did we miss a wedding?” (which then leads to an outstanding mail spiral). Super fun. When these additional declutter tasks are added to the to-do list in my brain I feel totally drained and unmotivated- as if I don’t have enough to do already!
Visualization Exercise- nifty!
Did you complete the clutter visualization exercise at the end of the section? If not, try it now! I found this so helpful to pinpoint and face the emotions that come with a cluttered space. Since clutter can be so draining and make us feel some sort of way, we often push any thought of it to the back of our mind. When you are thinking of your cluttered area, though, really confront how it makes you feel! I definitely find myself overwhelmed and a bit depressed. I love the way my home feels when it’s decluttered, so when it’s not I just don’t feel like myself. Now, I’m no therapist, but what does the clutter visualization bring up for you?
If you’re into it, journal your thoughts. The bad and sad and hard. After you work with an organizer *cough cough* to help you reclaim your space, you can read it to see what a true transformation took place- emotionally and physically, just as Berry said.
Clutter Conclusion
I’m not going to lie, that was a pretty great concluding sentence. However, I do want you to know that there are so many other juicy tidbits just in that introduction so keep an eye out for more Organize Now! Reading Circles.
If you’re comfortable, I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Cost of Clutter including the visualization exercise. If you don’t want to share on a public forum like this (totally understandable!) I encourage you to talk about it with a friend or family member. Digest those emotions.
