Interesting article by Professional Organizer, Judith Kolberg, which appeared in her February 2016 newsletter, “Organizing News You Can Use.”
I recently joined two organizing-industry committees that study organizing trends, and I’ve detected a clutter tsunami coming our way.
- Aging, first-tier Baby Boomers will continue to downsize now that the housing crisis is over and they are seeking outlets for their excess clutter.
- Second-tier Baby Boomers, hit hard by economic swings, will cash-in their home equity, shed excess, and become more mobile.
- Gen Xers, concerned about job security, will want to continue their dominance as home-based business owners in their basements, attics, and rooms left available as their kids go off to college.
- Gen Y, could well be sandwiched between their Boomer parents and children with all three generations living together in precious space that has no room for clutter.
- And if you think Gen Z wants to inherit the stuff from other generations, think again. They’re totally into small living quarters, with techy, multi-purpose furnishings unlike their parents or grandparents.
We’ll all need to employ a great number of de-acquisition methods to stop from being carried away in the flood of clutter. That means, not just charitable donations, recycling, and consignment but also using specialty sales sites like moveloot.com for furniture; decluttr.com for games, DVDs, and CDs; thredup.com for clothing; andusell.com for electronics. CraigsList and Freecycle are unbelievably effective in eliminating stuff. Just observe a few common sense safety measures (here and here) before you take advantage of them.
Check out our “Get Rid Of Your Stuff” flashcards to help organize and declutter.
Hey, you don’t need to be great at all these methods. Go to www.napo.net to find a professional organizer who can help you. In Georgia, that would be FileHeads at 404-231-6172, or info@fileheads.net
In Silver Spring, MD, that would be me! Call me and let’s get started on simplifying your life!