Here’s a common problem: Your room got messy, your closet is overflowing with shirts and underwear and socks dropping on the floor. It’s time to organize. Yet, here’s the dilemma: You need to decide what to keep / what to throw, and how to organize what you decided to keep.
The solution to what to keep is obvious. Simple patterns / questions could lead you to decide. So you ask yourself:
- How long have you had it for?
- Does it still function?
- Is it a duplicate of something you already own?
- When was the last time you used it?
Organizing is even more intuitive: Group alike things together, by type (pants together, shirts together, coats, etc…). You can go further by organizing each type by color, style, etc…
Simple? Yes, in theory. Yet, there will always be a piece that the time has worn, we barely use it but we can’t seem to throw it away. It’s a piece that you like and you don’t think you’re ready to give away. But that’s where my mom comes in!
As my closet run out of space, and I can’t seem to let some of my old never used pieces go, mom tends to do it for me… without even telling me!
To my surprise, whenever and if I find out, I don’t really feel upset about it. I go back to the questions:
- I had it for a while now
- It doesn’t really function anymore
- I probably have something similar around, or can simply replace it with a new one
- It’s been a long time since I enjoyed wearing it…
Eventually, we’ll forget
The closet presents the same challenge as any other fit and organize problem. Just like our lives:
When things start to go off rail, and when we can’t take it anymore, it’s time to repurpose: fit and organize.
Ask your self the same questions and know what to discard… and even if you couldn’t for whatever emotional attachments you have, eventually someone, or even life itself will do it for you. However, before being upset over discards, ask yourself:
- How long have I had it for?
- Does it still function?
- Is it a duplicate of something I already own / Can it be replaced?
- When was the last time I used it?
Answering these questions will help us realize that what we had probably wasn’t as good as we thought it was. Or probably was just worn out. Sooner or later we’ll discover that what’s worth keeping shall be kept, and what’s discarded will be forgotten.
In the practical use of our intellect, forgetting is as important a function as remembering.
WILLIAM JAMES