Putting the FUN in FUNCTIONAL...A Professional Organizer's Tribute to #GetOrganized Month

A toy car collection may "fun" but it isn't functional

January is #GetOrganizedMonth.

Yep, we celebrate a whole month to get our proverbial "stuff" together.

New Year, out with the old, blah, blah, blah. But the holiday season that just passed usually leaves far too many people feeling even more overwhelmed by even more clutter, especially clutter that serves no purpose.

According to a 2025 study by Talker Research, Americans claim that 34% of the items in their home actually serve no purpose. They may have at some point but now no longer do. So for all the reasons we have shared through the years like lack of desire, feeling overwhelmed or don't know where to begin, stuff continues to accumulate despite knowing it really is time to it all let go.

Other "fun facts/stats" from the study?

• 13% of the stuff deemed "non-functional" is just junk

• 27% of it is sentimental memories but not definitely not functional and this is the category of items that is always the hardest for clients to let go

• 10% belong/belonged to others and guilt has probably forced you to keep it but, again, if you aren't going to ever use it, no reason to keep it even if your Aunt Ida loved it.

Remember, if I've said it once, I've said it a bazillion times...if everything is valuable, nothing is valuable. 

Why do we collect stuff?

In today's world of constant low-grade distractions and stimulations, collecting things can become an anchor to ourselves. Objects are tactile, don't scroll away, and give us a sense of belonging and purpose. Our stuff can provide us the illusion of comfort and control in a world that feels unstable and uncertain. A shelf (or room) full of records, tools, glasses, figurines, mugs, or whatever else you collect tell a story about who we are and who we aspire to be, without needing to shout it from the rooftops.

As Americans, collecting is often tangled with our aspirations, our sense of identity, and our underlying feeling of wanting to "own" our lives. We don't want to feel regret or FOMO about needing something and not having it, or missing out on the final piece of the perfect collection. Far too often, we say "one day, I'll need this."

Having spent years as a professional home organizer and decluttering expert, I will always be struck by some of these stats:

speaking of things that don't serve a purpose

• The average U.S. household contains 300,000 items, a figure that has been growing over the past 50 years

• The self-storage industry exceeds $40 billion per year - our stuff doesn't even fit in our homes anymore

• The U.S. makes up roughly 4% of the world population, but consumes about 30% of global consumer goods

Why We Need #GetOrganized Month

Get Organized Month was created by the National Association of Professional Organizers, who started in a small living room in 1983. Imagine if that living room was full of your collection of mugs or matchbox cars! What is most interesting is that while the holiday is designed to help you get "success through organizing," its roots are in helping people optimize their time. Time is finite for all of us, and the more time you spend finding, caring for, and simply feeling anxious about your stuff, the less time you have to be present for friends, family and experiences.

Organizing with Purpose

So the world is stacked against us, our inner child wants to be seen, and advertisers are getting better and better at convincing us that we need more stuff. What are we to do?

First off, we should do what we can to shift our mindset. Accumulating more stuff doesn't just mean you have more things - it is more to maintain, clean, store, and bequeath when we die. Our stuff constantly pulls and demands more of our attention, taxing our mental bandwith. Start to shift the dynamic by thinking of your objects as companions, not obligations. If you don't "use" your stuff and you never look at it, maybe its time to get rid of it.

Some helpful tips:

• Set a clear space in your home for your collections. If they exceed that space, it needs to be a 1 in, 1 out policy so your stuff doesn't take over

• Prioritize the stuff in your life that has a clear use, has deep personal resonance, or tells a unique story

• Avoid the mindset of completing for completion's sake. Incomplete is not a failure, its simply a work in progress

• Periodically ask yourself, "would I choose this again today?" If not, maybe its time to get rid of it

• Display and store items in a way that makes them visible and appreciated, not buried

• Allow your collections to evolve, shift, and ultimately end.

  
  

Bottom line, as I always say, our stuff, if not now, will eventually become a burden that we simply won't know what to do with it when we can no longer maintain and contain it. So #dontbeastuffer as I also always like to say and make 2026 the year you are going to commit to less stuff once and for all.

And, of course, if you need help...whether just to get some recommendations on getting started or need someone to hold your hand all the way through your decluttering journey, contact us for a FREE 30 minute virtual consult by clicking HERE.

Here's to less chaos and more calm,

Beth