The Clutter Fairy Weekly #244
Bumps in the Road: How Major Life Events Complicate Our Organizing
Big life changes can derail our productive routines, introduce new sources of clutter, and complicate the work of decluttering and organizing in frustrating and unexpected ways. In episode #244 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explains how major events confound our efforts to organize and suggests strategies for keeping momentum in spite of life’s interruptions.
Content in this episode is based on the results of audience surveys.
Some content in this episode is based on results of a survey of our audience.
Watch on YouTube
Listen to the Podcast
Click the Share button to share the podcast, download an MP3 file, or subscribe through your favorite podcast platform.
The Weekly Tittle is an exercise designed to focus your attention on a specific space, aspect, or challenge of decluttering and organizing your home. We assign a new tittle in each webcast/podcast, then check on your progress the following week.
Major Events, Major Changes
This week’s assignment is to think about major events in your life that can have an impact on your clutter landscape:
- Spend a few moments thinking or writing about life milestones that you’ve lived through, that you’re going through now, or that you might reasonably expect to experience in the coming years.
- Reflect on the effects of these big events on the environment of your home. Which have made an impact—or would be likely to make an impact—on your volume of stuff or your ability or willingness to deal with your clutter?
- For an experience that has made or will make a large impact, research resources that might help you manage the situation in question. For example, if you anticipate having to care for an elderly parent in your home, you might take some time to learn about assistive devices and equipment.
Note: We recognize that we’ve been talking about major, life-changing experiences, and we’re not expecting you to make comprehensive, long-term plans in response to this tittle. We only want to get you to think about the effects these events have on your life and dip your toe in the water of ways to manage or mitigate the changes they bring.
For the full discussion of this week’s tittle, watch the Weekly Tittle segment on YouTube.
I think it is good to think in advance about what to do with the stuff if/when a significant person dies. Or making decisions about what you will declutter if/when you downsize, move a significant distance, etc. Just having a plan can be a great support even if you are happy with the stuff as it is in your current home. Since my current volume is small enough to fit in the back of an SUV, I think I am prepared for any move at this time.