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Tackling the Invisibles - 1st May 2015
You may well be wondering, what, or who, are the ‘invisibles’? Well, I guess you’re all familiar with the phrase ‘out of sight - out of mind’, this can be our starting point.
Being tidy is not a goal in itself
The people I work for have often gone to great lengths to shove excess belongings out of sight. They want a 'tidy' space. Cupboards and drawers though are full to bursting point. The home looks reasonably well ordered - well on the surface at least!
You may wonder what’s wrong with this approach? Well, anyone in this situation will more than likely struggle to find things, and in their minds they feel overburdened. Probably because they have to try and remember where they’ve stashed everything. Ultimately, all those ‘things’ do weigh heavily.
Working out ways to accommodate excessive quantities of things can also become a time consuming challenge. Even to the point where it is more challenging than actually facing up to some decluttering! Clients have described this sense of burden to me - the way it stifles their enjoyment of life and hinders their creativity.
You can see now, that in this situation ‘out of sight’ doesn’t equate to ‘out of mind’ at all!
So, if this sounds like you - then your first task is to find out what you’ve got! After all, how can you make an informed decision regarding decluttering if you’ve got things you haven’t even seen for months or maybe years in some cases?
I challenge you to think about all those ‘hidey holes’ around your home.
Where have you stashed things when it’s been too hard to make a decision?
Here are some suggested places to look!
- Under the bed
- In the loft
- In the garage
- At the back of the wardrobe
- On top of cupboards and out of reach
- At a storage facility
Not all your ‘invisibles’ are actually out of sight . . . . .
Yes, that’s right. Some of the things you don’t see are actually in full view, in rooms you use on a daily basis. Shocking though it may be, this is about familiarity. Think about it. Imagine you have some bulky item you no longer use. It’s in full view, say, in your living room. The thing is, it’s been there in a corner for so long that it now conveniently blends into the background. It’s like the wallpaper.
You are no longer aware of its existence, really. Your subconscious has more urgent things to deal with, so it doesn’t even register your surplus piece of furniture; your exercise bike; your piano; or your giant doll’s house, or whatever. This is because you don’t ever give these things even the slightest amount of attention. You are done with them, in all honesty.
Interestingly, this is a case of - ‘In sight - out of mind’
Here’s an interesting quote to ponder:
“Storage experts are hoarders”
I don’t entirely endorse this phrase, as I do think the right storage is an important part of the equation. However, storage is never the first thing on my agenda with a client. Why would you store things you don’t need?
I can certainly tell you that a number of clients I've worked for have taken it upon themselves to buy storage boxes prior to working with me. They are simply viewing their possessions as things to be contained at that stage, which is not the key to effective storage.
My advice to you is to never buy storage prior to decluttering. If you think you need storage items - consider, do you need to declutter? This could change everything and help you spend your money more wisely. My aim is to help clients discover what they most love amongst their possessions.
Can I help you? Call me on 01327 705294 for an informal chat.
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