The Pause
Background
It’s true, finding homes for items is a crucial step in organizing. As we continue through the organizing process, we get excited to put our various articles away. Knowing where something goes means one less decision to make! We crave the satisfaction. Especially when we've made new homes for our items, we can't wait to put our new homes to work! But now comes the trick. Before you automatically switch from sorting items to putting them away, I wonder what it would be like to take a PAUSE.
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The Pause
The pause gives your brain a bit of time to reflect on the item. Do I truly want this item in my life? Does this item want to be in my life? Does this item deserve the time, space, and money to be in my life? Do I love this item? Or, as Marie Kondo might ask, Does it bring me joy? In our eagerness to finish, it is easy to bypass this pause. What would it be like to take 5 seconds, breathe in, breathe out, and then put the item away if it passes the test?
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Some Examples
Paper
- You find a bunch of articles that you clipped from magazines. You think, “These articles go in my article file.” This would be a good time to flip through the articles, ask your questions, breathe in and out, and then put the remaining articles away.
- You’ve gathered a pile of pet medical records of “Hopper” your pet rabbit that passed away two years ago. You think, “Great, I’ll just add these to Hopper’s file.” Before you do that, pause, ask a question, breathe, and then take the next action.
Clothes
- You discover some bins of clothes from a past move. You think, “Oh, I’ll just buy some hangers and add these to my closet.” Now's a good time to experiment with a pause; ask a question, breathe and then take action.
Other
- You unearth some gifts that you were going to give. You think, “I can add these to my gift drawer.” But I wonder what would happen if you paused, asked a question, and breathed in and out before you took the next action.
Summary
Often, we remember to purge after sorting. However, sometimes we can forget to take a pause, especially if we have a newly created home for a certain kind of item. We go straight to put away because we can! This is a reminder that pauses are our friends. Let’s use them.
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