The other day, while pondering clutter (something I do quite often), it occurred to me that the reason clutter accumulates for many people is that they don’t have an exit strategy for their stuff. They haven’t thought through when and how the things they bring into their home will ultimately leave. The entrance strategy is simple enough: go to store, buy stuff, bag it up, and bring it home. But from there—there is no plan.
Wikipedia defines exit strategy as follows: An exit strategy is a means of escaping one’s current situation, typically an unfavorable situation. The truth is, without an exit strategy for your stuff, you will very quickly find yourself in an unfavorable situation—surrounded by clutter.
So here’s a thought for today: Create an exit strategy for your stuff.
I talk about finding a happy home for the items you no longer use, need, or love. Whether the happy home for your things is Goodwill (or another favorite charity), or the annual neighborhood garage sale, when you have an exit strategy for your things it is much simpler to stay on top of clutter and enjoy the benefits of living in an organized home.
I have an exit strategy for my stuff- I keep a large empty trash bag in my closet, another one in one of my kids’ closets, and one more in laundry room. Everytime I come across a piece of my or my huband’s clothing which we don’t want to wear, I put it IMMEDIATELY in the trash bag in my closet. I do the same with my kids’ clothes. As for other things around the house which I no longer need or like, I IMMEDIATELY put them in the trash bag in laundry. Also, at the beginning of summer and winter seasons, one weekend I go through our closets, specially kids’ closets, to see if there are clothes that have discolored, out grown, torn or not needed. I again put them in the trash bag. I keep the trash bags in closets until they are full, or season changes- whichever comes first. Then I put a fresh trash bag in their place, and take the full/ half full ones to Goodwill. This helps me in numerous ways: 1) I have a dedicated place to keep the unwanted, thus they do not add to the clutter, and I do not have any reason to stop from decluttering. 2) As soon as I see an unwanted thing, I get rid of it by putting it in trash bag- thus I don’t have to waste my time in remembering and looking for things that I want to get rid of. 3) Since I get rid of unwanted clothes immediately, I have plenty of space in the closet for clothes I want to keep. 4) Since I declutter our clothes before each season starts, I can see clearly what do we have and what do we need for the upcoming season. 5) I just feel calm and relaxed whenever I see uncluttered home and closets!