To Weed or Not to Weed

What is a weed? I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions. For me, a weed is a plant out of place. - Donald Culross Peattie

I like to think of myself as an interested gardener. I truly love looking through the seed and flower catalogues in the spring. I devour the catalogues and have considerable ideas in my mind of wonderful gardens that I never have the time or money to actually execute. When nothing else will grow in my yard, weeds are always present. I am constantly grumbling about the tediousness of pulling weeds. If I do not persist, they take over my flowerbed, and I just cant let that happen since Ive worked so hard already. The title might make you think were going to discuss some interesting landscaping issues. If you have gotten to know Lori and me, however, you will know that we are talking about the constant process of weeding through the items in our lives.

Kathy Waddill, author of The Organizing Sourcebook, writes, Aside from the personal reasons people hang on to things, our materialistic culture pressures us to have more than we need. Every day, were barraged with paper, news, advertising, and information. When you keep things youre not actively using, they get in your way and create work for you. It requires constant vigilance to prevent you from being overwhelmed by the onslaught. Keep everything weeded down so you can retain a semblance of control over your life.

Listed below are some examples that Waddill cites in her book, of how to know if your space or systems need to be weeded:

You have more stuff than actually fits into your space.

You cant do things you want to do without moving piles of stuff out of your way.

You cant put away stuff youre using because your storage spaces are full of things you rarely or never use.

You dont like to have people over because the place is so cluttered.

Its hard to squeeze another thing into your clothes closets.

Items you really should put in a storage room are overflowing into your living space.

Youve inherited a pile of things from someone you loved, and youre keeping them even though theyre of no use to you.

Every time you go out, you come home with something new.

You need a certain item, and you know you have it somewhere, but you cant find it, so you go out and get another one.

One (or more) of your collections is getting out of hand.

When you get new stuff, it piles up because theres no place to put it.

Youre keeping a bunch of things you never use because theyre too good to give away.

Youre keeping a bunch of things you never use because you might need them someday.

When someone drops in unexpectedly, you run around tossing things into closets and behind furniture before you open the door for them.

Im sure by now many of you are smiling because some of those symptoms may pertain to your system or your space. We are all guilty of keeping things we do not need anymore. Problems begin to arise when the things in our lives begin to overwhelm our spaces and our psyche because we dont deal with them constantly. We want to challenge you this month to get into the habit of weeding through your stuff, every day. The mailman brings us papers, advertisements, bills, and a lot of miscellaneous things that, if left untended, will quickly pile up. Every day, we need to address our papers coming into our space and make a decision regarding each piece of paper. This also includes daily newspapers and monthly magazines, and any other item that is consistently brought into your space.

If things are always coming into your space and never leaving through the trash or recycle container, problems are definitely going to arise. Fast food toys, birthday party favors, and a lot of other items that children quickly play with and just as rapidly discard; pile up fast in your house if you dont address them. We want you to enjoy doing the things you love instead of constantly trying to find papers or things because they are lost under a pile of clutter. Resentment and anger are always present when we spend too much time searching for things we truly need, and not spending time with our loved ones. Transform yourself into a life gardener. Be in control of the weeds that enter your life and weed constantly.

Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved

Sort It Out, Inc., is a St. Louis based professional organizing company founded by St. Louis natives, Lori Bickel and Claire Keeling. Professional organizers and paper experts, they can help transform those piles into a workable system and make you more productive. Sort It Out, Inc. is clear & SIMPLE certified. For more information check out http://www.sortitoutstlouis.com

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