Your Organizing Coach

Studies Show That Buying Stuff Is Good For You!

So often we pit decluttering and being green against frivolous spending and self indulgence; virtuous against irresponsible; conserving against wasteful. It can get to the point where you can feel guilty about buying anything you don't absolutely need!

To the rescue comes a study from Harvard B School showing that in the long run, people don't regret having spent a lot of money on pleasure. The key is the time frame. When people felt they would regret a purchase the next day, they didn't make it. When they felt they might regret that purchase several years down the line, they made it.

Another key idea for me is that the buyer really wanted the luxury item in question. It was clear to them that they would enjoy it and savor it. This is quite different from buying something because you want the experience of buying it, or because it's a status symbol, or just because everyone else is buying it.

I'm all in favor of having experiences and stuff that make you happy. Just check in with yourself about why you want something. And use the research; ask yourself if tomorrow you'll regret forking out for that ruby-encrusted watch or if in five years you'll still feel surge of happiness every time you see it on your wrist.

Do you have something you spent a fortune on that you regret now? Or that you're completely content with?

Chanel J12 watch from bbaunach's photostream

Should I Save or Should It Go?

People who are collectors love to tell me that things they've held onto for years and years have actually come in handy, so it was worthwhile to keep it. There's often a note of triumph in their voices when they come to the story's punchline, "and I had one!" They assume that I'm against keeping things and they want to head off any suggestions I might have for downsizing.

Sometimes, the story is that they decided to get rid of a bunch of stuff that hadn't been used in decades and "the very next day" they needed one of those things. They reluctantly decide it's a big mistake to get rid of anything at all, although they would like to have less clutter. What to do?

I heard a story like the latter one recently and it occurred to me that the storyteller was asking the wrong questions to determine what to keep and what not to keep. He asked himself if he'd used the item in question in the past few years and the answer was no. So, out it went.

But if he had asked, "what will I do if I need this next week and I don't have it?" he would've gotten more helpful answers. Could he borrow one, rent one or buy a new one? Could he farm out the item on long term loan to a friend with the proviso that he could borrow it back as needed? Could he make do somehow with items he did keep? And how would those options feel? If none were acceptable, keeping the item would be the best answer.

The idea is to look into the future ("what will I do?") and not the past ("I haven't used this in years") to make your decision. The future is where you're going to use it (or not).

[White elephant courtesy of Lenny Montana's photostream]

Declutter the Digital

Rule of thumb: it's easier to organize things when there are fewer of them.

How often do you look through a folder or collection of digital photographs and find only a handful that you want to show to anyone? The rest are too dark, out of focus, more versions of the same thing, make you look fat, or you have no idea why you even took them. If you get rid of them now, it'll be easier to find the ones you like and share them.

Next time you download your camera, really look at each photo and decide whether you want to keep it. This is also the ideal time to tag your photos so you can find them again by keyword. If you're making the effort to tag them, the pictures should be worth keeping.

Tags can be very straightforward, such as names of people in the picture, where it was taken, what the occasion was, etc. Also, think about what else is good about the picture, or why else you might want to look at it or share it with others. Is there a fantastic sunset in the background? Is it similar to other pictures you've taken in the past (and might want to compare it with)? Is the mood calm or energetic? Do you want to remember what camera and settings you used?

Pitch those Pix
I know, you've got plenty of space on your hard drive. But think of decluttering your photo collection as a good-habit building exercise. Review all your possessions regularly and get rid of the ones that don't fit, are beyond repair, have been replaced by something better, are ugly or you don't like anymore. If you can make this a habit, you will automatically declutter your life. Automatic is good!

Less Information = Fewer Decisions to Make

I've written many times about decision making (here and on my previous blog, which I wrote between March and October of 2006) and how to make it easier and less time consuming. Today I discovered a new way, which is just having fewer decisions to make.

I wrote the other day about Timothy Ferriss's "low information diet." Another of his posts is about a man who followed the Bible literally for a year and found, among other things, that life was easier because decision making was simpler.

His decisions were now all based on what the Bible said (a minimal information diet). If the Bible said yes, he said yes. If the Bible said no, he said no. You don't have to simplify quite so far, but you can see how it works. The less input you have, the fewer variables there are.

This works best if you realize up front that you will never have all the information you need to make the "perfect" decision anyway. Your access will be limited by time or other logistics. So, why not limit information yourself, with criteria you choose?

I've noticed that people get far too involved in collecting information, ostensibly for the purpose of making decisions, but actually because they get hooked on it. Sort of like following link after link on the Internet. It's hard not to fall down that information rabbit hole.

Try thinking of it as a real diet. For a real diet to be successful, you have to focus on what you're eating and the exercises you're doing. If you focus on what you can't eat, you're more likely to fail. When the diet is over, the chocolate cake will still be there. Same with information. You're really not going to miss anything important (see point #3).

A Blackberry is Just a Tool

Having information is not the same as knowing what to do with it. Sometimes more is just ... more. Will a Blackberry make you better at your job? Are you sure about that?

In an interview with CIO Insight magazine, David Allen said, "If you are unproductive to begin with, technology will add something else you are unproductive about." Having great tools is wonderful, but they don't automatically bestow the skills needed to use them. It's easy to have the illusion of productivity when you are constantly pushing information around.

Go ahead and get the Blackberry if you want it. If you also want to be more productive, you'll need to

• be clear on what you're trying to accomplish
• make decisions
• take action on those decisions
• follow up on the actions of others
• stay on track

Electronic devices such as Blackberrys are great for aiding you in those tasks (so is a pen and some paper). It's you, however, who supplies the brain power.

Decision Making: Brain vs. Gut

Yesterday I wrote about the value of writing it all down when you’re trying to figure out what to do first. This technique works for other kinds of decision making too. If you have a big decision to make that you can give a yes or no answer to, you can make a list of the pros and cons. Examples are: Should I take this job? Should I buy that particular car? Should I move?

The interesting thing about this method is that even if your pro list is much longer than your con list, you may realize that your answer is no anyway. This is typically true when the entries on your pro list are things like, “it’s a great opportunity,” “I would learn a lot” and “it would make (fill in the blank) happy.”

When you stare at that long list of positive reasons to do something, you ought to feel like you’ve been given the green light. It should make you happy! If you feel dread or misery or even just lack of enthusiasm, it doesn’t matter how long that list is, you know your answer is no.