Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness

by Gretchen Rubin

NEVER LABEL ANYTHING “MISCELLANEOUS.” And don’t use a term that’s a synonym for “miscellaneous.” I once created a file called active useful documents and then never looked in it again.

IDENTIFY YOUR BENEFICIARIES. It’s much easier to let go of unneeded items when we can envision others getting good use from them, so identify people and organizations who will appreciate your contributions.

This was my trick!

DONATE QUICKLY.

Aha!

SOME PEOPLE HAVE VERY STRONG VIEWS ABOUT THE RIGHT WAY TO LOAD A DISHWASHER. Dishwasher loading may be a good area to decide: “This issue matters more to someone I love than it matters to me. Out of love, I’ll load the dishwasher according to that person’s method, even if I think it’s unnecessary, silly, illogical, or a waste of time.” Or if you just can’t bring yourself to adopt someone else’s crazy method, agree to consult the manual together to decide the “best” way to do it.

I just had a houseguest who talked about this. It's a big source of conflict for a lot of people!

Often, we don’t mind or don’t even see our own clutter, but we’re very bothered by other people’s clutter. A friend told me, “My husband complains about my crumbs on the kitchen counter while he’s created a giant mess in the living room.”

Do you buy enormous quantities of common items (tinfoil, paper towels, dental floss) with the thought, I might run out of this, so I’d better stock up? If so, remind yourself, If and when I need this, I can buy it. Maybe I’ll never need it, so I’ll store it at the store.

Thinking about what you’d do with magical help can help identify possible changes to make in your life. For instance, if magic would give you a yoga room, might you find space for a yoga room in your home right now? If magic would clean out the garage, might you delegate or pay someone to do that task for you? That’s almost as good as magic.

Some people (such as me) find it easier to clear clutter when they tell themselves, “I’m doing it for myself.” Other people find it easier when they tell themselves, “I’m doing this for someone else—for other members of my family, for guests, for strangers.” Either way, don’t expect people to react the way you’d like. People aren’t always good at saying “Thank you.” Or even noticing.

Do any task that can be finished in less than one minute, without delay. Hang up a coat, read a letter and toss it, put a document in a file, throw away a pen that doesn’t work, put the toothpaste back in the medicine cabinet and close the door.

Most items are designed so that if they’re opened as intended, they’re both easier to open and easier to close—but when we’re impatient or inattentive, we may ignore that and yank an item open.

Even though this is good advice, it can drive you crazy to demand it from other people.

One way to identify procrasticlearing is to ask yourself: If I’d finished the dreaded task, would I still feel the need to create that outer order? If not, I’m just procrasticlearing.

When you’re waiting to board an airplane, train, or bus, take a few minutes to clean out your purse, backpack, or briefcase.

This seems like bad advice. Taking all your stuff out of your bag in public?

As we let go of things, it feels more and more possible—and more and more enticing—to let go of more.

This is one of the ideas behind Marie Kondo’s method. She has you do the easier stuff first so you get used to attempting to choose the things you want to keep.

It’s easy to decide that an object “belongs” somewhere, but nothing must be kept in a certain place. You may think your robe belongs on a hook in the bathroom, but if your robe seems determined to make its home in the TV room, maybe you should let it live there instead.

If all the dictionaries migrate to the dining room, the dining room needs bookshelves.

It’s satisfying to use the things we own, and it’s wasteful to save them for a day that may never come.

Make your home feel more alive by creating a secret place, known only to members of your household—whether it’s a desk with a hidden drawer, or a concealed closet, or a locked chest.

Everyone has a different list, of course. From my observations, these ten tips are the ones people find most useful: 1 |Make your bed. 2 |Follow the “one-minute rule”—anything you can do in less than one minute, do without delay. 3 |Have a weekly “power hour”—make a list of tasks you’d like to accomplish and spend one hour, once a week, tackling the items on the list. 4 |Make it fun to get the job done. 5 |Don’t let yourself fall into “empty.” 6 |Don’t put things down, put them away. 7 |Don’t stockpile; that is, don’t store more of an item than you can realistically use. 8 |Keep mementos that are small in size and few in number. 9 |Keep things organized, but not overly organized. 10 |If you can’t find something, clean up.

ORGANIZING FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Julia Morgenstern

This book was the first one I read about getting organized! I gave it away a long time ago.