One Basket To Avoid Clutter And Maintain Organization

July 10, 2013

Even if you have ruthlessly edited the contents of your space today, it’s inevitable that with the passing of time, you will find yourself no longer needing or desiring additional belongings.

The moment any item crosses over from necessary and desired into the realm of extraneous is the point at which it morphs into clutter, and therefore must be removed.

The thing is, even the most stringent individuals will be less inclined to cross the threshold of declaring a thing clutter, as it necessarily means they will need a place for it, a place other than where it was previously residing.

So, let’s say for instance that Charlotte maintains a beautifully organized closet. One day, it occurs to her that she no longer wears or wants that striped cardi that she never really should have bought in the first place. But Charlotte isn’t in the process of doing a major closet overhaul; she doesn’t have bags upon bags sitting around waiting to be hauled off to the Salvo Army. “One lame sweater,” Charlotte thinks, and so she shrugs her shoulders and keeps it in her closet.

ERRRRRR. Try again, Charlie.

Charlotte institutes a permanent basket for donation to maintain organization. It’s an attractive basket that she doesn’t mind having around, and its specific purpose is to collect the individual items that are intermittently expelled from her ownership.

Charlotte sees the sweater. She thinks how its tag itches her back. How its color makes her look like a blank white hyacinth. She snatches the sweater from its hanger, trots directly over to her donation basket, deposits said sweater in said basket and then goes on with her day, retaining her feeling of lightness. Every so often, according to the rate at which she fills the basket, Charlotte delivers its contents to the local charitable organization of her choice.

Ding ding ding!!

Great, so now that we’ve explored the many insipidly-est ways I can approach the matter of sharing an organizational tip, I shall conclude by adding: yeah, yeah, do that.

Bye!

Image credits: (clockwise from left) Martha Stewart, Family CircleCloset Factory

10 Comments

  1. Axelrodham Clinton on July 10, 2013 at 8:27 am

    Forsythia the Hyacinth. Sounds like a Roald Dahl book.

  2. Amy @Five Kinds of Happy on July 14, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    Forsythia? haha I LOVE IT

  3. Erica on July 21, 2013 at 9:59 am

    This is just a note to let you know I turn to your blog (esp. the decluttering archives) whenever I need a decluttering/organization pep talk! Thanks so much for a pretty and inspirational blog–Erica

    • livesimplybyannie on July 25, 2013 at 11:15 am

      So happy to hear that Erica! Best feedback to receive.

  4. […] one thing to keep an ongoing donation collection container–that practice I wholeheartedly advocate. But once you’ve established an assemblage of […]

  5. Deneen on September 5, 2014 at 10:24 am

    It’s rather scary how well you know me, Annie! I just pulled a Forsythia the other day! I have the perfect baskets for this … thank you for the idea!

    FYI, your blog has become my go-to place for brilliant order that’s actually beautiful and efficient … solutions that I want to use. This is indispensable to me as I am navigating the flux of settling-in/de-cluttering while creating a new life as an empty-nester after down-sizing/moving to another state. Whew! 😉 I appreciate you!

  6. […] Treat yourself to a beautiful new basket that will serve as your ongoing donation bin.  […]

  7. […] Ahem. This is also why I love to insist my client’s get this to act as their ongoing donation situation.  […]

  8. […] 1. Resolve to implement an ongoing donation bin. […]

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10 Comments

  1. Axelrodham Clinton on July 10, 2013 at 8:27 am

    Forsythia the Hyacinth. Sounds like a Roald Dahl book.

  2. Amy @Five Kinds of Happy on July 14, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    Forsythia? haha I LOVE IT

  3. Erica on July 21, 2013 at 9:59 am

    This is just a note to let you know I turn to your blog (esp. the decluttering archives) whenever I need a decluttering/organization pep talk! Thanks so much for a pretty and inspirational blog–Erica

    • livesimplybyannie on July 25, 2013 at 11:15 am

      So happy to hear that Erica! Best feedback to receive.

  4. […] one thing to keep an ongoing donation collection container–that practice I wholeheartedly advocate. But once you’ve established an assemblage of […]

  5. Deneen on September 5, 2014 at 10:24 am

    It’s rather scary how well you know me, Annie! I just pulled a Forsythia the other day! I have the perfect baskets for this … thank you for the idea!

    FYI, your blog has become my go-to place for brilliant order that’s actually beautiful and efficient … solutions that I want to use. This is indispensable to me as I am navigating the flux of settling-in/de-cluttering while creating a new life as an empty-nester after down-sizing/moving to another state. Whew! 😉 I appreciate you!

  6. […] Treat yourself to a beautiful new basket that will serve as your ongoing donation bin.  […]

  7. […] Ahem. This is also why I love to insist my client’s get this to act as their ongoing donation situation.  […]

  8. […] 1. Resolve to implement an ongoing donation bin. […]

Leave a Comment





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