Feeling overwhelmed by too much stuff? Start small with categories.
Starting with categories can help you boil the project down into smaller parts and give you a better idea of where to start. Sort your items into categories such as clothes, toys or books. This is how Marie Kondo does it, she prescribes that you organize by category and in this specific order: clothing, books, papers, kimono (misc items) then, finally, sentimental items. Once they are sorted by category, you can go back through each category and organize into subcategories.
For example: if you have a lot of clothes and find yourself overwhelmed by all the options every time you get dressed in the morning, try sorting your clothes by type (t-shirts, sweaters and jackets). Then tackle one category at a time.
Choose mugs instead of the whole kitchen. Small wins add up.
Done is better than perfect.
When you sort by category, remember that done is better than perfect. It’s the effort that counts and checking it off that literal or silent to-do list* is very rewarding.
If you’re doing this with a child or someone with limited mobility and dexterity, take breaks as needed. Focus on the big picture and don’t get bogged down in details. Quick decisions are okay, trust your gut and ask yourself (borrowing from The Minimalists), what is the worst that would happen if I let this items go?
You are enough & you have enough. I’m glad we’ve had this post.
Amy-Ellen
*silent to-do list is a concept mentioned in the book Goodbye Things written by Fumio Sasaki. The concept is that our things constantly send us silent messages so when we have too many things – the less we can concentrate on what matters.