![Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by [White, Dana K.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mKJqiPZXL.jpg)
I dived in, a tad skeptical that there could be anything new this 60-year-old hadn't already read about in her attempt at getting the stuff of life (ahem, clutter) under control. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that Dana White did actually have a pretty transforming idea that I had never contemplated before - at least not with the same clarity and direction that she writes about.
The book begins with White's explanation of the concept of containers. And not just containers as holders and organizers of stuff, but my mind was truly expanded as she explained how containers, when used properly, will actually limit the amount of stuff we let come into our homes.
For containers to limit stuff we own, though, we have to accept that every container holds a finite amount of stuff. And once the designated container is full (or as full as you want it to be) a decision has to be made about the stuff that doesn't fit in the container. I feel embarrassed to admit it, but this idea was kind of mind-blowing for me. That was not how I viewed containers. In my mind, if something didn't fit, one just needed more or larger containers, right? No! The container isn't (necessarily) the problem. The problem is too much stuff!
Once you get it, it's so obvious it might just make you giddy. Especially if your goal really is to own less stuff. First you have to identify the container, decide what you want the container to hold, then you simply respect the limits of the container.
While that sounds easy enough, of course it isn't. There will still be some emotional juggling as you decide what goes in the container and what doesn't, but White helps you in that process, too.
Once the author's container concept is understood and embraced, she introduces the reader to her methodology of dealing with clutter as life is being lived. After these things are explained, the reader is taken on a tour of his/her house to dejunk all the stuff that needs to go, and contain all the stuff that needs to be contained. This is where "the speed of life" part comes in. This part of the book may or may not resonate with everyone, but there's some really helpful stuff in this part of the book. It has helped me even though my life is less "speedy" than it was when I had three children at home with all their stuff and activities that often kept us running and/or distracted.
Back to containers, though. White explains (better than I will here) that containers are anything that holds other things. A table is a container for whatever sits on top of it. Same as a shelf, or desk, or even the floor. A closet is a container; your car is a container; rooms are containers. Your house is a container. Get the idea?
And of course drawers, baskets and boxes are containers, too. That much, I already understood - even if I didn't understand the power containers hold in the task of dejunking. It took Decluttering at the Speed of Life to help me understand the true purpose and powers containers can have for us.
Okay, sooo... Remember now, I had read this book earlier last year and was understanding the power that containers held when, in October, I bought a whole slew of containers to store my yarn in and neatly filled the whole closet in my craft room with yarn and embroidery/cross stitch materials). You can see the pictures again here if you're interested - though I want to say I bought just a few more containers and now the contents of the closet are well and truly "contained".
That's all well and good, but a little over two months later, I'm seeing that I still have a problem. The problem, of course, being that I still have too much craft stuff (in this case, yarn). For my liking, anyway. I'm not at all regretting buying all the plastic containers and going through the work of sorting and reorganizing my yarn. But it didn't solve the ultimate problem - which is too much yarn. Containers, in and of themselves never solve the problem of too much stuff. I knew that then, but I didn't let myself dwell on it.
Now I think I'm ready to deal with that reality, and as I'm refreshing myself in listening to this audio book again, the power of "the container concept" is going to help me.
This bears repeating: Containers themselves are never the solution to too much stuff. And a gal like me should not buy containers until she knows what she wants to contain and has a good idea of her ultimate goal (and ability) for setting up the storage.
So, to be clear... those criteria were established when I bought the containers. While previously, I couldn't see my yarn as well as I can now in these see-through boxes, my yarn was well inventoried and organized, and with the help of Ravelry's database system, I knew exactly how many skeins I had, as well as what brands, what fiber contents, and what colors I owned, and because my yarns were sorted into groupings that made sense even with the inadequate storage I had (basically an odd-ball collection of cardboard boxes) I could put my hands on any skein of yarn within minutes.
Because of all my previous organization and knowing what I had, when I bought the new see-through containers, it was with the (almost realistic) and ultimate goal of being able to store all of my yarn inside the closet of my craft room. While I took measurements and did some online research to determine the sizes and brands of boxes that would work best for my closet's design, I also had in mind that if we moved into a new place that didn't provide me with such an ample closet, my new storage boxes would either make storing yarn in a new place at least more efficient, but if necessary, the see-through aspect of the boxes would make whittling down my yarn easier. This is important, because ultimately, I do want to own less yarn.
For the sake of transparency, at the moment, in addition to all the yarn in my closet, I also still have yarn stored in these zippered canvas bags that are currently taking up residence under my desk:
It's not ideal, but it's neat. And for now it's staying.
And then some aran-weight wool is stored in this suitcase that sits behind my rocking chair:
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While my yarn storage appears to be under control (for the moment), a different (but related) issue I have is WIPs taking up space in ways that aren't serving me well - for example, this long-term "Flower Garden Squares blanket" deserves a better system for storage so that as I work on it, it's all neatly contained:
A few other WIPs I have are also problematic in that they aren't being stored in ways that make working on them easy. So I've set to work changing that this weekend.
Tomorrow I'll show you some more progress I'm making on getting my yarn issue under control. Having proper containers is only part of the solution. Using the containers properly is where the power lies. 😉
“Accept the limitations of the space you have, and declutter enough that your stuff fits comfortably in that space.”
― Decluttering at the Speed of Life
Yes, on the container thoughts. What I'm doing now is reducing my art materials to one crate per art form. It's causing some whining and some inventive ideas as well. I do many artforms all of which use different tools and materials, very few crossovers. So it's really good to abbreviate my holdings. I just invented that elegant synonym for decluttering!
ReplyDeleteWow, that was something I needed to read. I too, have out of control yarn. Even though it is all sorted by weight and fiber it needs to be looked at again with a critical eye. No more containers for it.....thank you for that. In fact, I would like to be able to free up one or two of my containers. Again, thank you for this post. It really spoke to me.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. I have not heard of the book, but it makes total sense. When I was teaching for whatever reason I never stayed in the same classroom more than 4 years. Yes, 31 years of teaching and I had to move every two or three years. I never understood how I drew that straw each time. I even thought that surely I would be at the top of the food chain and wouldn't have to do that anymore. I was grade level chair forEVER but still low man on the totem pole when it came to classrooms. I got smart and bought plastic bins that were easy to move - same size - stackable - and that I could easily move. No more filing cabinets, etc. It was all about being portable. When it came time to retire. I started whittling down the number of tubs I had. I have still done that with some of the sentimental items. Keep what goes in a certain amount of tubs.
ReplyDeleteI hoarded fabric before I retired and that was driving me nuts. I finally boxed up all that wouldn't fit on two shelves in my sewing room. I picked my favorites that I though I would use first. I took the rest to Goodwill. I grieved that I had that much I was giving away. I grieved that I had spent so much on it. I never missed it after I got it out of the house. I actually didn't stress when I opened that cabinet anymore.
I read that book not too long ago and she definitely raised some great points. I know my stash is out of control when my drawers (containers in themselves) won't close properly. That's the point I was at before I started the latest decluttering caper and now I'm happy to say the drawers shut with room to spare....woo hoo. Now the trick will be to keep them that way! I'm happy to say my yarn stash is dwindling and is now at the stage where I pretty much have to buy new if I want to make a project - and before you get too excited over that revelation, the yarn I had wasn't a huge amount in the first place. Fabric bits are my downfall - as are beads and buttons. Another great post Becki!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! I have made the mistake of 'just buying more containers'....that book makes so much sense! It would help me realize when I am going 'overboard'. Once the containers I have are full then it's either don't buy anymore or get rid of some of the stuff in the container so you can fit in something new. I may have to get that book. It sounds like a great reference to have on hand especially since I am a slow learner! LOL! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI just moved my craft room from one room to another, which meant, over the course of three days, I touched ALL of my craft stuff. Wow! I knew I had a lot, but I didn't think I had this much! Despite gaining a few extra square feet I am losing a decent sized closet, and I find I have to buy two more bookcases. Normally a trip to Ikea would be looked forward to, but this time, ugh. On the upside, I think I must be very good at space planning, because I can fit an unbelievable amount of stuff into a small space☺
ReplyDeleteWhat an interest post, I like this idea in the book you describe. I have to catch myself to not nag my husband about how he has a dedicated beer fridge, but there are still boxes of beer that don’t fit in there and he has a vodka and other spirits collection that doesn’t fit on the 2 shelves of the corner cabinet dedicated to them, or the cables and old phones and other computer stuff he has shoved under his desk that won’t fit in his dedicated wardrobe for cables and other stuff...I stop myself saying something because my spinning, weaving, felting, dyeing, knitting, painting ‘stuff’ is in so many places and however many times I reorganise things I find I don’t quite have enough space for everything to be all in one place. It’s better than it was, but my aim is to be able to store all fibre and yarn in my Kallix shelving from Ikea and to do that I need to get knitting and felting and not buy new.
ReplyDelete