P104.2 - Staging Spots |
Everything should have a home. Great idea!
BUT, what happens when new things come in that don't have homes? And what happens when things come in that have homes, and I'm convinced when they come in that I don't have the time to get them to those homes?
You need "Staging Spots".
In every room or part of the home or office you occupy, designate a box, or an area or a drawer for items with no homes and those who need to get home later. Preferable, there will be a trash can and/or recycling bin near the spot.
When things are laying around in "wrong places", don't stress about getting them to their homes first and right away, but do stress about getting them all to a convenient staging spot, so all that out of place energy at least finds a home in a temporary space designed for holding it.
Then, when de-cluttering the staging spots every hour, day, few days, few weeks, go through the KEEP, DONATE, RECYCLE, TRASH, NOT SURE ROUTINE. "Keeps" find a home. "Not sure's" can stay in the staging spot as long as they aren't consuming all the space. If they are, they need to be boxed and moved to another area or with the other "not sures" (see prior section for this).
Don't underestimate these simple concepts. These are all grains of energetic sand that can pile up. These are also all grains of sand that can be managed without the stress of major decision making with a little strategy.
BUT, what happens when new things come in that don't have homes? And what happens when things come in that have homes, and I'm convinced when they come in that I don't have the time to get them to those homes?
You need "Staging Spots".
In every room or part of the home or office you occupy, designate a box, or an area or a drawer for items with no homes and those who need to get home later. Preferable, there will be a trash can and/or recycling bin near the spot.
When things are laying around in "wrong places", don't stress about getting them to their homes first and right away, but do stress about getting them all to a convenient staging spot, so all that out of place energy at least finds a home in a temporary space designed for holding it.
Then, when de-cluttering the staging spots every hour, day, few days, few weeks, go through the KEEP, DONATE, RECYCLE, TRASH, NOT SURE ROUTINE. "Keeps" find a home. "Not sure's" can stay in the staging spot as long as they aren't consuming all the space. If they are, they need to be boxed and moved to another area or with the other "not sures" (see prior section for this).
Don't underestimate these simple concepts. These are all grains of energetic sand that can pile up. These are also all grains of sand that can be managed without the stress of major decision making with a little strategy.