Bags of Hodgepodge: Dealing With A Backlog Of Delayed Decisions
Delaying and putting off dealing with decisions can have a crippling effect. As unmade decisions pile up, they start to take over your mind and your space. After the avoidance has gone on for a while, guilt and shame get added to the list and dealing with the decisions seems impossible.
In this article series, I'll review the most commonly avoided items and ways to get started when you've been paralyzed by the thought of tackling the project.
When you have a time crunch and need to tidy a space or make a change quickly, do you stuff everything into a bag to deal with at some undefined ‘later’ time? Or, do you switch to new bags occasionally and leave a bunch of debris in the old ones? When you clean out your car to make space for people to sit, do you shove everything into a tote and stash it in a closet or the garage?
If you have a stash of bags containing random items, it’s time to face them!
Step 1: Get a trash bag (or two, or three) and pick a spot where you’ll have some room to spread out. Use the dining room table, set up a folding table, or sit on a pillow on the floor.
Step 2: Go around the house, garage, and any other places where bags can be found and gather all the bags to one place. Find the purses, totes, beach bags, laptop bags, cross-body bags, backpacks, and gym bags.
Step 3: Pick the smallest or least full bag to start. Empty all the contents into a pile. Throw away anything that is trash.
Step 4: Sort the remaining items into categories based on where they should be stored. For example, put all makeup and toiletries into one pile, electronics and cords in another pile, and papers to file in a third pile. You may need a separate pile for things that don’t yet have a designated place.
Step 5: Decide if the bag you emptied is going to be kept. Do you love it? Do you want to use it again? Do you need it? If the answer to these questions is ‘no’, toss the bag or set it aside to take to a donation center.
Step 6: Repeat steps 3-5 for each remaining bag.
Step 7: One at a time, take each category pile and put things where they belong. When arriving at these final steps it may be extra hard to keep going to the finish line so I encourage you to set a timer for 5 minutes per pile and race the timer to get things put away before the alarm. This is also the step where it could be helpful to enlist the help of a family member (you could even turn this into a game for children, with prizes given for speedy completion).
Step 8: If you have a pile of items that don’t have a designated place, decide on a place now. You may need to further sort the pile into groups of similar items first. Now pick a place where these items can have a permanent spot and put them away. If the permanent spot is currently full or not well organized, don’t let that stop you! Put the items as close to the spot as possible or shove them in. Dealing with decluttering and organizing other areas is not on the agenda for this project.
Stuffing things in bags and not facing the things you are afraid of doesn't make them better or easier to deal with later. Be courageous: feel the fear and do it anyway! Don't let guilt and shame cause you to continue on a destructive path of avoidance. If you need support, contact a friend or professional (organizer and/or therapist) to help you get through the first steps.