The Stashing Solution
Cleaning can actually create clutter. If we need to spray the kitchen counter with cleaner, we must first do something with the piles of paperwork. Since we are on a cleaning kick, we don’t want to redirect our energy to sorting the piles of paper, so we just slide the paper into a drawer or bag. We delay dealing with the paper so we can get the cleaning done. We toss bags filled with clutter into the hall closet and stuff loose ends into drawers to make room for cleaning. We have become victims of the stashing solution.
Stashing has given birth to the junk drawer. Our junk drawers are bursting with a collection of odds and ends, receipts, paperwork, and items we are saving “just in case.” Stashing also creates what I call “time capsules.” Time capsules are bags or boxes filled with stuff that we wanted to hide. Instead of dealing with the contents and putting things away, we applied a temporary fix: the stashing solution.
Unlike stashing, which offers a quick but detrimental fix, organizing forces you to stop, think, and made decisions about where items really belong. Organizing requires planning and space allocation to activities and items. Because it includes making decisions, organizing takes longer than stashing, but it’s worth it. Organizing also prevents loss of items, which costs you enormous time, stress, and frustration.
Related:
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 1: Product Panacea
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 2: The Rearranging Remedy
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 3: The Cleaning Cure
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 5: The Tidying Trick
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 6: The Cookie Cutter
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 7: Why We Cheat
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 8: Due Diligence
