A few years ago, I decided to declutter my closet. I made time, sorted my things, and even took the nicer clothes to a consignment store by my house. I felt pretty proud (look at me, so productive!).
After sifting through my clothes, the guy at the counter came back and said, “Ma’am, thank you, but we cannot accept these. These are a little mature for us.”
Only after my mild embarrassment subsided did I realize that the 20-somethings who frequented the store wouldn’t want my non-trendy, and apparently, non-young clothes.
That was the last time I took anything to a consignment store.
And the last time I made a serious effort to go through my closet.
It wasn’t so much that being told I had “old” clothes. It was the level of expectations I’d set. I needed to have every step of the plan figured out before hand, and a guarantee that each would work, flawlessly. Which charity do I donate to? Sort by color or style? When do I have a whole weekend free to do this project, or else why bother?
A sure way of not actually doing the task at hand is to spend all the time on the planning. All the stars had to align first. I had to have all the answers. In my effort to simplify, I was making things complicated.
It was time for a different approach.
Not long ago, I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, and shortly after, tackled my closet again. I followed her plan but not perfectly. This time, a I did a little bit each week, three weeks in a row, with focus only on starting. Soon, I had four bags ready to go.
What a huge relief, to not have this heavy, anxiety-laden need to have each detail planned from start to finish.
: Less control.
: Just start.
: Try a different way.
I didn’t cure cancer. I didn’t end world hunger. Yet so often we treat small decisions like that.
Sometimes, it feels great to tackle a big project in a few big moves. But if that doesn’t work for you, and keeps you from starting, then it’s better to start small rather than not at all.
My simple motive (a cleaner closet) now gives me a few moments of peace each time I walk in, and reminds me that I like the feel of less stuff. One bag of clothes went to a family that escaped a violent situation and was homeless. To be of a little help felt meaningful.
But let’s get real. I’ll likely forget this for the next project. But perhaps, just perhaps, I’ll remind myself that I’ve been here before, and what it took to figure it out.
And that’s my plan. For now.
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