It’s the month of books, lots of new books! Most of my latest acquisitions are about clutter. I don’t know about you, but I love books, as does the family I come from. I grew up in a house of books. There were books in every room. Family excursions would often include hours spent “browsing” at bookstores like Rizzoli in New York City. Every time my mom returned from a trip, she’d bring back more books filled with places she traveled or art she’d seen. Sundays were often spent sitting around reading The New York Times, listening to music and reading books.

I’ll admit that when I was younger, I wasn’t as avid a reader. I preferred drawing, painting and dancing. But over the years, I have turned into my mother. What can I say? I have a lot of reading to catch up on.

While the books in our home are neatly stacked and stored on shelves, we have a lot of them. To visitors they might seem like clutter or too much stuff. To us, they are treasures. There are periods when I’ll scour the rooms with a bag in hand, hunting for books that can be released and donated. As I look, I rediscover some great “old friends,” which I can’t part with. However, there are some that I’m ready to let go of and put into the “donate” bag. Each book released represents a small success.

The newly published book, Junk – Digging Through America’s Love Affair With Stuff  by journalist and author Alison Stewart, is one of the books that recently joined my collection. About a year and a half ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Alison. The inspiration for her book came from her experience emptying her parents’ home after they passed away. She became fascinated with why we hold on to things. This led her to a three-year journey investigating all about our culture’s obsession with stuff: collecting it, releasing it, and upcycling it.

Alison cites resources like the Institute for Challenging Disorganization and interviewed many people including junk removers, some of my colleagues and me. She used part of my interview in her book and quoted me saying,

“I don’t think it is so odd that we define ourselves by certain objects. If you think about your space, you have things around, colors you like. What you see is the variation in the volume. And whether the stuff is enhancing your daily experience or it is causing stress. That’s the dividing line. Is it preventing you from living the life you want, doing what you want, causing problems with your family? That’s the slippery slope.”

The need to hold on and collect is a common phenomenon. As Alison asks, “Why do smart, successful people hold on to old Christmas bows, chipped knickknacks, VHS tapes, and books they would likely never reread?”

“Why do smart, successful people hold on to old Christmas bows, chipped knickknacks, VHS tapes, and books they would likely never reread?”

— Alison Stewart

Junk has many great stories, facts and connections with our shared experiences. It’s well worth adding this book to your collection or borrowing it from a friend.

Is your home filled with things that are too good to let go of, yet they no longer are serving a purpose? Have they become clutter? Do they represent postponed decisions? How do you decide if something is a treasure or clutter? I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Come join the conversation.

During a local errand run, I came across a luggage tag that grabbed my attention. Written in bold, clear lettering it said,

“Collect moments NOT things.” 

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a collector of things. I derive pleasure in looking at and playing with fun, colorful objects like my floating pens, Pez dispensers and miniatures. But what I am a deeply appreciative of are the brilliant moments that life offers us at every turn.

The key is allowing the time to pause and acknowledge what we’re seeing, hearing, feeling, or noticing. Maybe the moment is the slight breeze cooling you off on a hot day, the scent of the rich, brown earth after a heavy rain, hearing the soothing voice of a loved one, the taste of that first morning sip of coffee, or sensation of your body exhaling as you lay down to relax after a long day. The list of wonderful moments goes on. Which moments fill your time? Which moments are there to appreciate?

While some moments are solitary, we also have shared ones with our friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers. Who are the people that you share your time with?

Linda Goldfarb and Linda Samuels - ICD 2009

Our time is limited. This was made all too clear as I mourn the recent loss of my friend and colleague, Linda Goldfarb. She passed away this week and will be deeply missed. Over the last fifteen years, our paths crossed many times at NAPO-NY, NAPO National and ICD events. I had the great pleasure of working with her on several projects for ICD. She was a woman of her word, creative, patient, focused, and always delivered on her promises. Linda was passionate about traveling, spending time with her husband, Bob and being a foster parent to dogs waiting to be adopted. She was a giver. Her moments counted.

While I’ll continue to collect a Pez dispenser here or a miniature there, the larger focus will be on collecting and appreciating amazing moments both simple and deep, solo and shared, because life is made up of those tiny instances. Time goes all too quickly. These moments are waiting for us to embrace.

Amazing moments are the ones we notice. Which moments fill your time? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation. 

It may surprise you that many organizers are also collectors. I’m one of them. I collect many things including Pez dispensers, cobalt blue glass, trinkets, floating pens, sparkly things, and beautiful Pinterest images. I no longer collect rocks, cat-related objects, pins, or leotards. Tastes change. Focus changes. Letting go happens. I was interested in knowing more about organizers’ collections, the influence it had on their organizing work, and letting go issues. To understand more, I reached out to several of my colleagues (Janine Adams, Ruthann Betz-Essinger, Nancy Borg, and Karen Fulks.) They shared a range of perspectives about the “stuff” of life, collecting it, managing it, and letting go of it. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for exploring their collecting and letting go experiences with us. Keep reading for some insights about the path of our possessions.

I asked my colleagues . . . 

• What do you collect?
• How has your organizing work influenced your collecting habits?
• What letting go challenges have you experienced with your collections?

Contained Collections

“When I was in my twenties, I traveled internationally for my work and I started collecting fountain pens, which were abundant and affordable in other countries. I added to the collection for a few years and when I stopped traveling so much, I stopped collecting.

The collection lives in a fishing tackle box in the basement. Today, I literally had to dust off the box before opening it (for the first time in probably 20 years) and inside I found 43 neatly stored fountain pens. 

The organizer in me just had to consider letting go of the collection: I certainly don’t use these pens. Heck, I don’t even think about the collection. But looking at the pens, they bring back memories of my travels and, yes, of my youth. Should I let them go? Perhaps. Are they worth enough to sell? I have no idea, but it’s conceivable. Will I sell them? I sincerely doubt it, unless I find myself with a whole lot of time on my hands.

For now, I have plenty of room to store this small, contained collection. Perhaps I’ll give the pens away to a fountain-pen-loving young person one day. In the meantime, I appreciate the opportunity to reacquaint myself with these lovely pens!”

Janine Adams, CPO®, CPO-CD® – Professional Organizer, Blogger, Speaker & Blogger

Useful Collections

“I collect books and anything with Vera Bradley’s name on it.  Since becoming an organizer I have learned that the best collections need to be visible and/or useful. What is the point of something that is unseen or not used? Today, I give away any fiction books I have read, either to a friend or a library. I have also started buying more e-books.  My Vera Bradley collection is a little trickier, but I do rotate my purses and totes on a monthly basis. If I don’t use something within the year, it’s gone. I limit the number of Vera items to the volume of the storage container in which they are kept. Letting go is hard but the more you practice, the easier it gets. Also, knowing that another person might get the same thrill over an item that once thrilled you, makes it easier to give up.”

Ruthann Betz-Essinger, CPO®, MBA – Business & Residential Organizer & Speaker

Memories-Inspired Collections

“When my parents retired and downsized their “giraffe” figurines (both large & small), it was with great sadness that I watched them ‘let go’ of their lifelong collection. It was storytelling at its best. It signified wonderful days gone by and so it felt very heavy-hearted to bid them farewell.

When I married, while I loved the ‘idea’ of starting a collection of something, I understood that interests change and so too would our collections of ‘things.’  I recalled that my parent’s passion had faded though the years, and that those great long-necked treasures had eventually become even greater dust collectors.

35 years later, it is artwork, home décor, and treasured photo albums that fill our home and rekindle memories. We used to collect matchbooks from every restaurant, near and far. Although no longer an active (nor displayed) collection, I still delight in digging into a Ziploc and discover the favorite places that retell our stories.”

Nancy Borg – Professional Organizer & Blogger

Organized Collections

“Fact:  In our house, there are 40+ collections and 10,000 books. Working for years with ‘collectors,’ the easiest way to start with collections is to use the motto of Organizers worldwide: Like with like. And break it down again. For my/our obsessions: alphabetize books, put found money in by date, vintage knit potholders on kitchen walls, group cigar boxes by size, etc. But...snowglobes, the largest collection? After building narrow shelf units, groups formed – states, countries, animals, strange. The collection grew, as did the groups. We moved recently, (ok, 7 years ago), were undecided as to location, so all went to the attic and haven’t been looked at until…today, writing this – yep, still in attic, still undecided, and most fairly intact. I pretend I’m my client. I loved these unique snowglobes. Ha! Past tense & there’s my answer. Easy? No, but if I take pictures, I won’t have to dust them.”

Karen Fulks – Professional Organizer since 1984 & Collector since 1951

Passion, control, loss, and inquisitiveness reside in these stories. We experience unusual relationships to our objects and collections. How do we choose what to keep or to let go of? Our “things” can have a unique hold on us and therefore we create parameters and boundaries around them. These come in both physical and emotional forms such as fitting them into a specific containers or questioning the value of our emotional attachments. What resonates with you? Are you a collector, or do you know one? How do your attachments to “collected” objects influence your letting go habits? I invite you to share your thoughts about collecting, letting go, and boundaries. Come join the conversation!

The Meta-Monumental Garage Sale by Martha Rosler

In the past few years, I saw two exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City that had organizing themes. I’ve always recognized and enjoyed the visual aspect of the organizing work that I do. These installations brought art and organizing into a new light. While the two exhibits served different purposes, present in each were themes of collecting, repurposing, preserving, and letting go.

Martha Rosler’s The Meta-Monumental Garage Sale is on view through the end of this month. She says, “An object is always more than what it is: A chair is never only a chair, a spoon never merely a spoon. It travels through social worlds, and carries forward a history, belonging first to those who produced it, and later, to those who bought, used, altered, sold, traded, or discarded it. Value is ascribed to it, value is withdrawn; value is regenerated.”

Rosler’s interactive exhibit allows you to actually participate in the Garage Sale, by physically handling the objects, bargaining with the sellers, and purchasing someone else’s discards. Similar objects are grouped together. Signs such as “Haggle,” or “Everything Clean Nothing Guaranteed,” along with real time video monitors of people shopping, encourage you to engage in the active art of acquiring. As I walked around, I could feel the buzz of others enjoying the hunt.

Waste Not by Song Dong

The other exhibit, which I saw several years ago at MOMA, was Song Dong’s piece Waste Not. It was a poignant tribute and collaboration with the artist’s mother who would not part with any of her completely filled Beijing home. With his mother’s agreement, he turned her accumulated possessions into an art project. In her culture, the art of not wasting was considered “a prerequisite for survival.” In our culture, this type of saving without any dispossession would be thought of as hoarding behavior. The installation included the complete contents of her home, amassed over fifty years. Everyday items like pots, plastic bottles, and empty toothpaste tubes were organized and displayed for viewers to walk through and see. While you couldn’t touch the objects, as in the Garage Sale, you could get close to them without any barriers.

The things we collect, save, and let go of are integral to our human experience. With these two exhibits, someone else’s letting go enabled us to reexamine these objects as art, life, and new possibilities. What are your thoughts about acquiring, saving, or letting go?