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June 24, 2005

 

Space Inventors

484-547-7304

SpaceInventors@gmail.com

P.O. Box 3056

Allentown, PA 18106

 

 

Space Inventors provides hands-on and coaching assistance to make the most of your time and space. Our clients seek a nurturing space to spend more time with loved ones, enhance the community, create art, continue learning, and grow professionally. If you’re inspired to do more with your life but clutter and mundane tasks stand in the way, contact us for a free consultation.

 

 

Just the Basics:

  1. Why reduce?
    1. Create space
    2. Reduce guilt
    3. Reduce expenses
  2. What can go?
    1. Dig deep
    2. Spread it out
    3. Break up the work
  3. Where to donate?
    1. Freecycle.org
    2. TheRePlace.org
    3. Community groups

 

 

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Don’t just sit there! Send an e-mail to SpaceInventors@gmail.com with the subject Comment and tell me what you think. I’d love to hear about your experiences getting organized.

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Space Inventors

484-547-7304

SpaceInventors@gmail.com

P.O. Box 3056

Allentown, PA 18106

 

Space Inventors is now open for business!

I want to thank each of you for your encouragement, suggestions, and honesty about your organizational challenges as I did the research and start-up work.

The most common thread I heard during interviews was the need for simplicity. Whether it was finding a way to track business leads, reference materials or ideas for articles or stories, you struggled with the unnecessary complexity of doing everyday tasks. And that boils down to wasting time on the unimportant instead of investing time in the important.

So my first series of articles will target simplicity. And I hope you will share with me your experiences with practicing simplicity in your lives. We can all learn from one another.

Namaste,
Colleen Warmingham
Professional Organizer

This first column will address the most obvious, but often overlooked way to simplify your surroundings… unload the junk.

Why pitch the junk?

  • It’s in the way. It’s there when you try to set the table for dinner, when you need space to pay the bills, when you want to play a game or do a jigsaw puzzle.
  • It’s taunting you. Piles of papers make you wonder if you paid all the bills on time. In the garage you hear the whispers and giggles of garden equipment playing keep-away with your favorite work gloves. And abandoned craft projects give you a one-way ticket on the guilt train.
  • It’s expensive. Think about this… there are three costs to anything you own... The cost to purchase it, the cost to store it, and the cost to maintain it. So if you bought something that hasn’t enhanced your life, cut your losses. This frees up time and money for something more worthwhile.

What can go?

The problem probably isn’t the stuff that’s in your way, such as the papers on top of you desk or the mail on the kitchen table. Likely, the problem is down a layer. Maybe your favorite coffee mugs are on the counter because casserole dishes you never use are in the cabinet. Or the newspapers are piled on the sofa because last year’s garden catalogs are spilling out of the periodical basket.

To beat this problem, first get things out of their normal storage location. We get used to seeing our objects in their natural habitat. They blend in with the scenery and we lose objectivity about them. So don’t look through your kitchen cabinets hoping something will beg to be donated. Spread everything on a table (or even the floor… heck, most of them could probably use a good cleaning anyway). Sort the items back into categories if they’ve gotten scrambled over the years. Now look at them. Really look at them. Can you get rid of the mixing bowls you’ve had since your first apartment? Go ahead… let the next generation of 20-year-olds say to friends "sure it’s ugly, but it was free!"

Still struggling with the enormity of the project? Break it down. Do just the bottom of the closet, or just the surface of your desk. I like to keep projects small enough that I can restore order before dinner. Even with large projects I find natural breaking points every few hours. Do small projects well and you’ll reduce your chaos instead of adding to it.

Who can use this stuff?

Many of us struggle with getting rid of perfectly serviceable goods. We don’t want to add to the growing landfill problem and we know intuitively that "someone ought to be able to use this." But many places resell only clothing and small house wares. So what to do with the large or oddball items?

  • Freecycle is an online group for trading useful-to-someone-else whatnots. To join, fire up your computer and go to www.freecycle.org. On the left, click on the link for your region, then scroll down to your state and subscribe to the group(s) closest to your home. There are groups for Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and other greater Lehigh Valley towns. Once subscribed, post a description of your unwanted goodies and wait for the enthusiastic replies. Make pick-up or delivery arrangements privately with a responder.
  • The RePlace (www.thereplace.org, 26th Street near Emmaus Avenue, Allentown) takes large household goods, office equipment and furniture, and the most amazing assortment of building supplies. On a recent trip there, I saw a stack of shower stall bottoms, a rack for fabric bolts, a urinal, a complete set of kitchen cabinets, a dozen round dining tables, and pallets of cubicle panels still wrapped in protective paper. Call them first if you have something even stranger, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they take it off your hands.
  • Community groups such as religious organizations, animal rescues, and social services often need supplies or know people who do. If you volunteer or participate in a group, try making an announcement at your next meeting or placing a blurb in their newsletter.

So set aside a little time to clean out that drawer or cabinet! Bring joy to someone who needs your unused items, and free up some space. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel.

Copyright 2005 by Colleen Warmingham