Time to Think

Another "pre-stuffed" shot of the garage.  Future staging yard?  or...?

 

"You have to think about your stuff more than you realize but not as much as you’re afraid you might."

- David Allen, Getting Things Done

 

These days I'm thinking about my stuff.  Moving does that; it causes us to reevaluate our stuff.  Where will it all go?  To those moving into a larger space the question is simple to answer.  But for those downsizing or adjusting to a differently laid-out space the question is harder and involves a longer decision tree.  What is this?  Will I keep it?  When was the last time I used this?  Is it worth more to keep or will it cost less to replace?  When the cost of the home is divided by the square footage and that price-per-square-foot number sinks in, suddenly the question of what goes where takes on a whole new weightiness and heft.  The value of the stuff comes into question in terms of return on investment, play value, sentiment, etc.  

The quote above from David Allen, one of my favorite authors and a person I'd consider a mentor through his writing and videos, is especially apt at this time.  A few moments each day thinking about the stuff - asking the appropriate questions about it and making determinations - pays great dividends in generating movement and actions that lead to a well-organized home full of the sort of things we love and want to surround ourselves with.  Chief among those questions is this, "How do I want to use this stuff?" or a better way to put it, "How does my intended use of this stuff reflect who I am and who I want to be?"  Yes, I know, a deep, philosophical question on a model train blog.  You may be thinking this is too much, it is just stuff after all.

But I'd argue that the thinking is worth it.  Kristi and I have always told our boys, "People are more important than things".  Does our relationship with our stuff reflect that reality, or our intention to live that way?  Is our home a place for people beyond our family?  Does the placement and care of our stuff enable us to be closer to one another, open to others, or does it reflect a more private life?  Or all three?  My garage will be my space - hence the possessive pronoun - but will I share it?  Will the railroad I design for that space be a private world, only occasionally viewed by family and friends, or a more public space?  How I answer that question will have a bearing on how I arrange the stuff in the space.