Help! I don’t have room for everything
“If only I had more storage space!”
“Some day I’ll have a bigger house”
“I don’t have anywhere to put stuff!”
How many times have you said (or at least thought) these things? If you’re like me, probably a LOT. I lamented that my apartment was too small, my kitchen was tiny, my fridge was undersized. I couldn’t get organized when there was nowhere to put everything. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re in good company. Even now, my house is a good size and I still sometimes wish I had more space when I can’t figure out where to put something.
I used to dream about having a bigger house. I mean, a real dream when you’re asleep. I would dream that my house had extra rooms: another bedroom, a big closet, a basement. It was so awesome. But the funny thing is that there was already stuff in those rooms (although there was also room for more stuff!). Hmmm. I probably subconsciously thought I needed more room.
I was wrong. It turns out I didn’t need more space; I needed less stuff. Really? How could that be? I thought I needed all this stuff.
But another thing that I felt was overwhelm because I felt like my stuff was infinite. As in, I couldn’t count how many items I actually owned because it was some kind of nebulous mass of stuff. It was never ending; it didn’t have a finite end.
And having so much stuff made it hard to keep it under control. I’d start having piles of stuff here and there, on the table, on the counters, on the bed (I’d have to scoop it all off to go to sleep). When had to start “marching” around the room to get over stuff on the floor, I knew it was time to start picking up and at least have a safe way to walk through the rooms.
I realized that I wanted to control my stuff, not have it control me. I started habits that would help me get my things under control and keep it that way. It took a lot of practice and a lot of trial and error. But here are some of the things I learned in the process.
- Stop trying to create more space and instead get rid of stuff. You’ll be left with more space for things you really need, use and love. You can even have some empty open space to enjoy! That was a foreign concept to me. Why not fill a space if you have it? But I found it very relaxing to see empty spaces with nothing in them.
- Find a home for everything. This is a process because you’ll often have to purge stuff from cupboards, closets or drawers to house the stuff you use every day. But keep working at it. Find a home for something near where you usually use it or where you usually leave it (which are likely near the same place). That way it’s just as easy to reach over (or up or down) and put it away instead of leaving it out.
- Be realistic about how much space you have. Each shelf, bin, cupboard, closet, room and house has a certain amount of space to fit things in comfortably. The key word is comfortably. If you go beyond that, things will be crammed or overflowing, and that will cause stress and frustration. If you have a smaller space, that means you need to keep less. Be picky about what you keep, and make sure everything you keep deserves to be in your home. “Sorry, microwave bacon cooker, you’re very nice, but I can make bacon without you so I’ll send you to another home where someone can use and love you.” (Am I the only one who talks to my stuff when I get rid of it? Ha ha ha.)
- Get rid of duplicates. Yes, you may need more than one spatula if you’re making eggs and pancakes and want a separate one for each. But don’t keep an extra of something just because one might break and you’ll have a backup. I mean really, what are the chances that your manual can opener will break? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one breaking, they’re usually pretty indestructible. So let go of the extra. And if yours does break, I give you permission to buy a new one (and of course you have to throw out the broken one).
- Get creative for storage you do need. If it’s truly storage and not something you use every day, it doesn’t need to take up your prime real estate. For example, if you live somewhere that you actually change out your whole wardrobe according to the season, don’t keep your off-season clothes that you won’t wear for several months in your closet along with the clothes you do wear. Store them under the bed (in underbed storage containers), in boxes or totes on a shelf, or in another out-of-the-way place. Keep your closet uncluttered by only having what you currently use in your closet. Other storage places may be
• Hooks, shelves or other storage units hung on the back of doors
• Ottomans with storage
• Stacking wire shelves in cupboards
• Hang shelves or dispensers below cupboards
• Large baskets for shoes, blankets, etc.
• Hooks and organizers inside cabinet doors - Get used to – and enjoy – wide open spaces inside your home. It will give your home a feeling of tranquility and be visually relaxing. And if you really do need to add something to your home, you’ll have space for it.
By decluttering and using creative storage solutions, you can end up with more space in your home. Learn to live with less and enjoy your home and make it work for you.