Why We Overbuy

Is it really overbuying?

According to the Internet (statista.com) the average household in the US has 3.14 people, which is also the numerical pi which is weird and I don't know how much toilet paper a .14 person will use but I digress...

If a family of 4 has 3 bathrooms and is now home 24/7. That's a lot of toilet paper usage, folks. Think about, if a family of 4 were "doing regular life" outside of their homes. There are multiple potty breaks on the go at the coffee shop, at work, at school, at the gym, at the mall, at the movies...all now happening at home. All.Day.Long.

When we consider everyone in the region and most of the world is now home using their toilets all day long some are legitimately getting enough for their families' needs. But you know there are some who are getting WAAAAAY more than they will ever need. That leads us to...

Knowing what you have and how long it takes you to use what you have.

Recently I put a question out on Instagram Stories asking viewers if they knew how long it takes for their family to get through a roll of TP. Some knew but many didn't. It's imperative now more than ever when resources are limited not to get too much (because the vulnerable will not be able to find enough), and not too little (or you and your family will be vulnerable).

If you haven't heard about it already there is a nifty toilet paper calculator for free (or donation)

In my household, we use Amazon Subscribe & Save if you aren't familiar it's a feature of Amazon to save 15% or more if you subscribe on a regular basis (I believe they start at monthly) to certain household products like laundry detergent, pet food, and yes, toilet paper.

It's been a life-saver as a busy couple, adding shopping for everyday items to our lives was time-consuming and costly. How many times have you step-foot into a store for one thing and left with things you didn't know you wanted and probably didn't need (looking at you Target).

Using Amazon Subscribe and Save was certainly a time-saver and it allowed us to "set it and forget it".

HOWEVER, (comma) it became apparent when my ignorance of how often we used something meant we had way too much or not enough. It forced me to become more aware of how quickly things were being used. Amazon sends you a notice about 7-10 days before your shipment so you can make adjustments. It's been great!

Note that with the coronavirus pandemic and with the shortage of paper products some items aren't available as they once were.

Through my experience of helping clients declutter, I realized that a lot of people buy:

• out of habit and not based on what they needed and it got them to a place I call "Duplicate City". A city where you walk around asking: "Why do we have 14 bottles of Dawn dish detergent?"

• the "10 for $10" deal or "buy one get two free" was too good to pass up even if they really didn't need it and once they do the product is too old to use so it was a waste of space and money. (suggestion: you can give the free one away, since hey... it was "free"... just sayin')

• Too many cooks in the kitchen. If multiple people are purchasing in the household and there is no collaboration of who buys what and when. Then the fateful day that everyone goes out and gets dish detergent and now you have 2+ bottles and heaven-forbid you both shopped the 10 for $10 deal... *facepalm* and no one can find the receipts.

I hope you got a chuckle out of these scenarios but seriously over time these habits can cause frustration and overwhelm and shame. It happens. We don't judge, it's our job to help you to place all the dish detergent in one place, label it and perhaps give some to a charity or organization that can use it. Through coaching, we can also help you bring awareness to the habit so that you don't end up in the same place again.

Which leads us to...

Living in an abundance mindset (those who experienced loss/deprivation)

After working with people for so many years when it relates to organization and especially decluttering, I don't need a textbook to tell me that the people who have A LOT of things in their space(s) have often come from a background where they at some point in their lives didn't have a lot.

Life experience has "taught" them what going without feels like and they never want to go without again and so even if it means they can't find the things they are looking for or will ever use up all the things they have, they "need" to have them to feel "safe". However, this comes from a place of fear versus a place of power.

It's a whole thing, you can Google "abundance mindset" or "scarcity mindset" and you'll be able to read to your heart's content.

It's something you obviously can't fix overnight and probably not alone, but here is a great graphic I found to help you identify the two different mindsets and perhaps start working on changing them if you so desire. I'm not a master of abundance mindset but let me tell you, it feels a whole lot better than a scarcity mindset.

credit: Padraig Coaching & Consulting

There are a plethora of reasons why before, during, and after the coronavirus pandemic people have been overbuying and overstocking. Some reasons are valid and others could be worked out in therapy or with an organizer coach (like myself or my team).

Whatever the case, I hope a few of these reasons have brought awareness, with awareness comes positive change.

We don't know what the future holds for the supermarket shelves and our abilities to provide for our families' basic needs. But I do know that through our community, more abundance mindset than scarcity mindset, and tweaking a few wasteful habits that may have developed while we were swimming in the land of plenty, we can dig deep and figure out a way to get by for the time being.

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Andrea Hancock is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Dexterous Organizing, a professional organizing and lifestyle company serving the Washington, DC Metro area. Andrea has been organizing professionally since 2010 and has completed the foundation courses in the Coach Approach for Organizers Training. She believes mostly anyone can create the organizational system that works for their lives through training, awareness, and consistent efforts.

The Importance of Prioritization

Overwhelm was a part of our lives way before the Covid-19 pandemic. It's something I often speak about and something that many of our clients have expressed challenges with. But boy! how this unprecedented scene of the world has left many of us (even a professional organizer) grasping at straws.

I know how to make a plan but it's very hard to do so when daily, or even hourly, things have to quickly pivot. These changes and day-to-day problem-solving are not just "normal" challenges but those that involve and could possibly endanger the lives of us and our family. These challenges could also endanger our livelihood and even if we know how we are personally surviving day to day we worry about the wellbeing of our friends and family. All the while, we have to try to be emotionally together enough to work, homeschool the kids, prepare every meal and clean and disinfect like it's going out of style. Times like this, it's hard not getting sucked into despair and spend too much time watching the news, on social media, or viewing your favorite streaming service.

Talk about overwhelming!

Although most of us are stuck at home, overwhelm doesn't always come from the nature of doing. It often starts in the mind. The many thoughts swirling around that create a sense of overwhelm.

Creative people often have the most struggle with these challenges, as creative thinking is usually very abstract and less linear as conventional productivity and time-management processes use. I just purchased and plan on reading this book:

Check it out.

My friend and fellow-creative, Photographer Danielle Finney (who has done my headshots since 2013), wrote a fantastic blog in November. The tips are how she deals with overwhelm as not only a business owner and creative but someone who has been very vocal in dealing with depression and anxiety.

I got her permission to repost her wonderful musings and tips and I know you'll enjoy it:

YOURS TRULY, THE OVERTHINKER | 3 THINGS I'VE FOUND HELPFUL

November 5, 2019

I’m way overdue for a blog post… I decided to take an unplanned, but much needed break, and I’m glad I did! I realized that I’ve been dealing with quite a bit of self-imposed overwhelm, and it was increasingly causing me more and more anxiety. Thankfully, last month my therapist reminded me of the importance of prioritization and in the days following my session, I was able to be more focused and productive than I had been in weeks!

What made the difference? Focusing on fewer things. Such a novel idea, I know lol. But man… actually putting it in practice? Made a world of difference.

So today I want to share 3 things that I’ve found helpful to give my overactive brain some structure and help me move through overthinking paralysis.

ONE Brain dump- often. I write out everything that’s swirling around in my mind causing me anxiety… often it’s very task heavy, but...

Read the rest on her blog by clicking here.

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Andrea Hancock is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Dexterous Organizing, a professional organizing and lifestyle company serving the Washington, DC Metro area. Andrea has been organizing professionally since 2010 and has completed the foundation courses in the Coach Approach for Organizers Training. She believes mostly anyone can create the organizational system that works for their lives through training, awareness, and consistent efforts.

The Charmed Organized Life

Many people say they want to be super organized. They want a beautiful closet with color-coded clothing and matching hangers. They want pantries with glass jars labeled with their rice, quinoa, and breakfast cereals.

But they lie. Not intentionally.

But being super organized often means having less stuff, spending more time planning, and spending more time putting things away, or having the staff (maid service, nanny, personal assistant) to do it for you.

People like the idea of being extremely organized. The Instagram and Pinterest board likes and shares prove it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not being judgmental. I'm just being honest.  After about 10 years in the organizing industry, I speak from truth and experience.

I'll even pull back the layers of truth on myself. I love the idea of having six-pack abs but I'm not willing to put in the work and the eating habits (at least not with all the other priorities on my plate) to get them. I do what I can to live a healthy lifestyle, it's not perfect but I'm honest with myself. I love bread, wine, and I don't work out consistently.

How can you be more honest with yourself?

Awareness.

Notice what you say when you're in Target staring at pretty baskets and decor. How does that internal speech that drove you to buy that pretty basket measure up when you get home? What happens in reality? Will the pretty basket sit in the bag with the tag for weeks unused, perhaps adding to the clutter that's already in your home?

Notice what internal speech do you hear when you are home and discouraged by your home office papers in various stacks in your office or 2 months' worth of mail on the dining room table?

Don't DISS yourself.

1. Distract

2. Ignore

3. Sabotage

4. Suppress

Organizing takes work. It takes effort, consistency, and a bit of know-how (skill). What can keep you from getting or staying organized?

Are you distracting yourself with television, phone calls, social media? Set aside dedicated, consistent time to process and organize. It can be as little as 15-20 minutes but let it be daily or weekly but consistent. Music can be a motivator. But avoid things that keep you procrastinating or stopping and starting the process multiple times. Refocusing takes a lot of energy and time that you can be used in the processing mode.

Are you ignoring the mess? It's often when someone wants to come over that we suddenly see the stacks of magazines, the load(s) of laundry that needs to be folded, or that trash can overflowing. We all get busy, but ignoring the clutter or disorganization won't keep it from going away! Have an accountability partner, set a reminder, or have a regular routine for dealing with clutter build-up.

Do you sabotage your organizing efforts with negative self-talk? Saying things like "I've never been organized, so it's not possible for me..." "I don't like organizing so I can't do it." "I'm too busy." Are probably excuses that sabotage your efforts or from even trying. Organizing is a skill that most people can learn. You just need to find what you need when you need it. Manage your time and energy, and figure out what works for you and what doesn't. When you feel like you failed in an organizing endeavor ask yourself: "What did I learn?" You may be able to analyze and problem-solve to try something different.

We live in an information age: YouTube, blogs, podcasts all are chock-full of helpful tips, information, and ideas to learn how to organize. Don't follow too many. Pick 1-2 mediums that resonate with you and tune in regularly. It may give you the confidence to figure out a particular organizational challenge.

Perhaps you suppress your emotions regarding the clutter or disorganization in your life? Often times the emotions we suppress only come back with a vengeance and bite us in the rear. For instance, our cluttered space may make us depressed or anxious. Instead of dealing with the issue we move to another less cluttered space in the house, like from our dedicated office space to the kitchen table, and then ultimately clutter that area as well. Perhaps we make matters worst by behaviors that create temporary relief emotionally but actually make the problem worse, like "retail therapy".

Have you noticed these patterns in yourself or someone in your household? Are you ready to create a journey to a more organized lifestyle? Let's chat! Book a FREE Discovery Call with me or Kellie Powell.

I have been trained to coach (bringing awareness and partner with clients to bring positive change) around organizational and productivity issues. We can work out a plan to organize your space, and help you stay organized for good (even virtually)!

Don't DISS yourself! Let's put in the work and have the charmed organized life you desire!

Andrea Hancock is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Dexterous Organizing, a professional organizing and lifestyle company serving the Washington, DC Metro area. Andrea has been organizing professionally since 2010 and has completed the foundation courses in the Coach Approach for Organizers Training. She believes mostly anyone can create the organizational system that works for their lives through training, awareness, and consistent efforts.