In the organizing industry, we have a phrase coined by Kathy Waddill, “decide to decide.” What does this mean?
In her book The Organizing Sourcebook, Waddill talks about “decide to decide” as the need to follow through with projects and tasks in our lives. I see this most with my clients in the follow through of taking items designated for donation to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, donation bin, what have you. This results in some of the items originally designated for donation creeping back into the home because the client has a chance to convince herself getting rid of the item may not be a good idea. This behavior can be detrimental to the organizing process.
Regarless of whether you are working with an organizer or not, consider the effect your decision of bringing items back into the home is having on your overall goals and visions.
Go with your initial gut reaction when sorting an area initially. Put items designated for trash or donation in containers with lids so you will not be tempted. Schedule a charity pick-up at the end of your organizing session. Or, plan time to take a trip to drop off donations just after you finish organizing for the week.
“Decide to decide” does not only apply to following through with removing items from the home, but also projects around the home. Many of us are notorious for saying, “I should do ____ in my home.” The ____ could be anything from filing papers, fixing a leaky pipe or tackling boxes still left from a move. Whatever the task is, we need to hold ourselves accountable for following through with those tasks. Schedule time in your week to get some work done.
Just think how much better you will feel when all those nagging projects aren’t nagging you anymore!
