I recently realized that I spend at least an hour a day moving stuff from place to place. I probably spend more than that, but I don’t want to do any more accounting. The process might depress me.
Granted, I’m someone who places a high priority on leading a life without clutter. With a child and several pets, the attempt to have very little clutter is a constant struggle.
A clutter-free (ok, low clutter) environment makes me feel relaxed and happy. I know that everything is organized. I know where things are. It feels good to know that the lunches are made and in the fridge, the bags are packed and in the closet, the jackets and other winter gear are hanging up in the closet. With a busy life, if I don’t put things in the same place all the time, I lose them. And losing things makes me very frustrated.
What causes the one hour a day? It’s all of the packing and unpacking. To get out of the house, we need food. We need bus passes. We need appropriate gear for the weather. My daughter needs anything that she needs to bring to a class, and I need items that are moving from home to work and from work to home. All of this moving of objects takes time. Washing lunch containers, putting clothes away, finding bus passes: yes, this is the everyday dance of life.
One thing that helps me organize is having a designated location where we drop things when we go in and out of the house. Near our front door there is a little space, and this is where I accumulate items that will go outside that day. Behind that space is a closet. At the side of the closet, we place the items that need to leave the house the next day. At the top of the closet I place items that need to leave over the course of the next week or so. Having a holding zone for these items makes sure that I do not forget to move them where they need to go.
I also pack early and unpack immediately. If I don’t unpack things right away, items magically get lost. Funny that.
Does your house have a drop off zone? How long do you spend packing and unpacking items?
Image Credit: Beate