Bulletin vol. 34 no. 1 | 5
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Resist the urge to "get organized" by buying set of containers, matching jars, hangers,
files, binders, or other supplies.
Often we buy stuff that allows us to jam more clutter into place. Instead, use my favorite test with all your possessions: Ask "Do
I need it? Use it? Love it?" If you don't need it, use, or love it, you should relinquish it. And when you've eliminated everything
that you don't need, use, or love, you probably don't need to "organize" much. You can just put things away.
It can be very fun to buy organizing items—they're so enticing! But remember, you don't want to buy more stuff for your stuff.
Aim to pare through your belongings so that you don't need any special gizmos.
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Make it fun to get the job done.
How can you make this process more fun? Might you listen to a podcast while you clear, listen to your favorite music, invite a
friend to keep you company, set yourself a challenge? If you tell yourself "I'm going to clear this entire closet in 45 minutes!"
you might enjoy the process more.
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If the idea of doing a big "back-to-school cleaning" doesn't appeal to you, try tackling
your space in very small steps.
Follow the One-Minute Rule: anything you can do in less than a minute, do without delay. Hang up your coat; scan a letter
and put it in the recycling bin; put the jar of nuts back in the cabinet. This approach means you eliminate an annoying layer of
clutter just in one-minute increments. This is a great approach for a busy person; it's astonishing how much clutter we can clear
when we consistently make small efforts.
A strange, almost paradoxical phenomenon takes place when we clear clutter: when we get rid of things we don't need, don't use, and don't
love, we often feel like we end up with more. It's very common for people to remove two giant bags of clothes from their closet, and then
exclaim, "Now I feel like I have so much more to wear!"
The process of establishing order makes us more engaged with the things we keep, and so our lives feel more abundant, even though we've
given away, recycled, or tossed so much.
By taking the time to create outer order, we can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.
Gretchen Rubin 's most recent New York Times bestselling book, Outer Order, Inner Calm, has
more than 150 ideas for creating outer order but these tips will get you started!
Gretchen Rubin, one of today's most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness
and human nature, is known for her ability to distill and convey complex ideas with humor
and clarity, in a way that's accessible to a wide audience. She's the author of New York Times
bestsellers, The Four Tendencies and Better Than Before. Her book The Happiness Project has
sold more than one million copies, been published in more than thirty languages, and spent
more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, including at #1. On her top-ranking,
award-winning podcast "Happier with Gretchen Rubin," she discusses happiness and good habits
with her sister Elizabeth Craft.
In her work, she draws from cutting-edge science, the wisdom of the ages, lessons from popular
culture, and her own experiences to explore how we can make our lives happier, healthier, more
productive, and more creative. Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer. Raised
in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
More about Gretchen Rubin
Photo credit: www.gretchenrubin.com
