Let them go for something better

4 Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? saith the Lord.

  5 Let the properties of Kirtland be turned out for debts, saith the Lord. Let them go, saith the Lord, and whatsoever remaineth, let it remain in your hands, saith the Lord.

  6 For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?

  7 Therefore, will I not make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord.

  8 Is there not room enough on the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt, that you should covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters?

  9 Therefore, come up hither unto the land of my people, even Zion. (D&C 117:4-9)

It is interesting to read this block of verses from the perspective of decluttering and organizing because they point out an important principle that can help us deal with feelings of loss.

Some people are hesitant to let go of what they don’t need because they argue, “They don’t make things like that anymore.”  The implication is that craftsmanship has degenerated since the making of that object, and its like will never been seen again.  Therefore, the reasoning goes, I must hang on to this last vestige of excellence even though I have no real use for it. 

I saw this attitude for the first time in an older woman who was determined to keep a broken plastic serving platter—she pledged to glue it back together—because, as she said, “They don’t make them like that any more.”  To my eye, the platter deserved to be discontinued, but I did not say so; after all, she was allowed to have her opinion as well as I, and she owned it, not I.  But I tried to tell her that there are so many platters that have been made in this world and surely there would be something out there she’d like as well if not better.  She was not convinced.  I suppose she never frequented eBay and the variety of styles, ages, colors, and designs that are represented for sale there. 

In the above block of verses, the Lord was trying to get the Saints to let go of their lands in Kirtland in 1838 and move to Zion.  No doubt the Saints were convinced it would be impossible to find a situation of property so advantageous as the place they lived.  The Lord’s words in verse 6 and 8 are a reminder that the earth is a very big place with plenty of space, far bigger than they realize, so the chances of finding other advantageous places to settle is high.   And, in verse 7, He even offers the comfort of miraculous transformations—even if the place they end up is solitary and desolate, the Lord can make it blossom, bloom, and bring forth in abundance so that it becomes advantageous. 

These same reasons can help us today let go of what we don’t need.  What does it matter if we decide we need it again in the future?   The Lord can bring something just as good if not better into our lives.  Or, if we can’t find what we need, He can help us make something that is just what we need.  The principle the Lord wants us to learn is letting go with the faith that there is something just as good if not better that will come to us. 

Do you need extra help with organizing and de-cluttering? Hire me! Go to www.phoenixhomeorganizing.com for more information about my services! Did this article help you? Be sure to share it with your friends!

This is your kitchen speaking.

Ahem.  This is your kitchen speaking.

I am the place of safe food preparation and storage.  You may have forgotten this, so I will explain it very carefully to you.

I am not your entertainment center, so you can remove the TV.  And the videos.  And the iPad (except if you’re following a recipe on it.)  And the laptop.

I am not your filing cabinet, so you can remove the stacks of papers.

I am not your child’s toy chest, so you can remove the blocks, the little cars, and suchlike.

I am not a greenhouse, so you can remove all but one or two very small potted plants that you keep off the counter.

I am not a disco or a dance club, so you can remove the stereo system and all the CDS and tapes off the counter.  If you must have music, place the stereo outside so it doesn’t clutter the counters. 

I am not a candy store.  I want to you keep a healthy diet, so hide those jars of candy in the cupboard instead of leaving them out on the counter.  Better yet, toss them in the trash.

I am not the garbage can, so you can remove all the empty wrappers and put them in the trash.

I am not the refrigerator, so put all the partially eaten food in there instead of leaving it on the counter.

I am not your mailbox, so the mail can be moved elsewhere.

 
I am pretty darn good at being a kitchen, but when you ask me to do all that other stuff too I can't do my job as well.  So don't ask me to be what I'm not.  I'm a kitchen. 

Do you need extra help with organizing and de-cluttering? Hire me! Go to www.phoenixhomeorganizing.com for more information about my services! Did this article help you? Be sure to share it with your friends!

How priorities can help us get de-cluttered

http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/05/14/breakfast-topic-your-priority-list/

Sometimes it is hard to make a decision to de-clutter because we forget about how things fit into the big picture.  For instance, when you have a box of Christmas cards that you are agonizing over, it is hard to imagine letting go of any of them.

 This is when it is helpful to look at a list of priorities and see where that stuff fits into the big picture of your possessions.

Things that are physically necessary

Food

Clothing

Transportation—cars, kids’ bikes (if bike to school)

Coats, hats, gloves, boots, and other outerwear (put in front hall closet)

Laundry supplies

Toiletries (put in or near the bathroom)

Cleaning supplies  (commonly under kitchen sink or on a shelf over washer and dryer)

Things that are emotionally necessary

Journals

Photo albums

Things needed to accomplish common living tasks and for learning important skills

Cooking equipment

Office supplies (put in or near desk)

Car tools (in garage)

Home tools

Gardening tools

Craft supplies

Electronic and computer supplies (put near computer)

Musical instruments and music 

Things that are more for fun

Makeup supplies

Jewelry

Books, videos, and recorded music, video games

Outdoor play equipment

Toys  (Kids may see these as necessary)

Board games

Camping equipment

Decorations—knickknacks, pictures, sculpture

Holiday and seasonal decorations

Additional memorabilia

Perhaps you noticed that the three lists above are grouped according to

1.     things that are pretty necessary

2.     things that are needed to accomplish common living tasks and for learning important skills

3.     things that are more for fun. 

Perhaps your priority lists would have certain things on them that mine don't.  Maybe you would consider musical instruments and music to be more fun than part of learning an important skill.  That's okay.  But it is important for you to know what belongs on YOUR lists based upon your skills and interests. 

Things on the fourth list (the fun stuff) are the things that tend to cause the most clutter in our lives.  You have to keep an eye on these things because they can and will easily grow beyond the limits of your space. Whenever you need to de-clutter, it never hurts to start by examining the things on that list first.   (You can also de-clutter things on the third list if you look for where you have a surplus that you can't use up easily or that you aren't interested in using.  For instance, I might de-clutter music for my musical instruments by looking through to find music that I like least of all or that I never play.)

This post started with the question of saving Christmas cards.  Christmas cards would fall into the category of extra memorabilia and memorabilia is not absolutely necessary.  It’s nice, but not as important as, say, our journals and photo albums.

Looking at where Christmas cards might fall on a priority list helps us remember how important those cards are with respect to everything else we own and reminds us that we have to be picky about what memory items we keep, otherwise it can take over.

Extra Credit Exercise:

In the following list, where would you place these items in the priority lists above?

• A pair of earplugs
• A set of scriptures
• A frizbee
• Cake-decorating equipment
• A hoodie with your favorite sports team logo on it (it still fits you)
• A book from your childhood
• Five Precious Moments figurines
• A screwdriver
• Your  graduation cap from your high school graduation
• A package of ramen

Related post: 

Do you need extra help with organizing and de-cluttering? Hire me! Go to www.phoenixhomeorganizing.com for more information about my services! Did this article help you? Be sure to share it with your friends!