It's a new year. 

Everybody and their moms are purging everything they own and getting organized. 

It's what we do. 

The New Year, the resolutions, the fresh start.... it is awesome. 

But, we seem to have to do it year after year after year..... And I think it's because people are missing somewhat of a crucial step in the "getting organized" bandwagon. It's totally simple, but it's super important. You want to know what it is??

It's HOLDING every.single.item in your hand and making a decision about that specific item.

That's it! (well, technically that's not all you need to do to get organized - you need to join my newsletter below too!! Every month we focus on one area of your home, to get it decluttered & organized - plus you get some printables to help you get it done!!)

Marie Kondo has her clients do this to see if the item "sparks joy". And while I don't know that every item you keep will "spark joy", I do 100% agree with her that you need to hold each and every item. 

Here's why at least in my opinion:

Holding each item forces you to see all that you have...

When you have to go through each and every item you own and make a decision about it, I think it causes a person to realize how much they have. 

You can truly see the bulk of your items when they are pulled out of drawers, off shelves, and taken from out of sight areas and put into view. 

It can actually be somewhat overwhelming, and, probably at the very least, surprising to see all of your possessions out.

 

The mere act of seeing it all will likely help you decide that maybe it's time to let a few of those items go.

I don't even know if I need to give you any more reasons than that... but here are a couple more I came up with:)

Holding each item (most) will cause you to have some sort of response...

Marie Kondo says these items will spark joy. And maybe that’s the case for many items you hold in your hand.

But you are also likely to experience indifference to many items. And potentially even stress & guilt from others. 

Pay attention to your emotional responses to each item.

I would suggest that the items that cause any negative emotional response get passed on, thrown out, or donated.

These could be items that you keep out of guilt, but never actually use. Items that cause you to stress every time you look at, but you don’t ever deal with them. 

These are the things that you just may need to say, “bye bye bye!!” too. 

 

Holding each item will cause you to think twice before you bring more into your home

The tough thing about holding each and every item is that it can be a VERY LONG process!! 

Going through and decluttering your home as much as you can take A LOT of time.

And once you’ve done it you are likely NOT going to want to have to do it all over again. 

Every time you make a purchase after you’ve done a major purge/declutter, you will probably (should) be thinking two things: 1- do I actually NEED this? And 2- where will I be able to put this?

 

The last reason I think it’s important to hold each and every item really applies to parents. If you don’t have kids though, this could even apply to spouses!

Holding each item will cause others around you to evaluate their things. 

If you left it up to your kids, they would keep every.single.thing. 

The broken things, and the random pieces of garbage. All the toys from their kid’s meals. 

Every.Last.Thing. 

And going through the process with them can be really tough and emotional for them. 

Here is my thinking: do your stuff first so they can see what the outcome looks like. 

Most kids love to play in a clean organized space, even if they don’t express it verbally.  

But they will see the work you do and how nice it makes your home. And I would guess that they’d ask you to help them in their rooms as well. 

So going through the process of holding each and every item can rub off on your littles, without them even realizing it! 

And, if you don’t have kiddos, I would guarantee the people you live with, or are close with, will begin to see the changes you are experiencing. It will likely rub off on them too!!

           

Holding each and every item is such an important part of the decluttering process. It causes you to see all that you have and really evaluate how much you need it. Holding each item will cause some sort of emotional response. Pay attention to that- it will help the process!

Every time you make a future purchase you will think about how much you need the item and if you even have space for it before you even leave the store. And lastly, the people around you will see what you are up to, and likely want to partake! 

If you haven’t yet, get yourself signed up for the monthly organization letter. Each month will have a focus area that we tackle together to get our homes, schedules, and lives less cluttered and make room for the people and things we love!!