Repurpose, but don't hoard!

Avoid the "just in case" trap

If you are the kind of person who likes to repurpose things when they have become unnecessary or no longer fit for their original use, you may want to still be careful how you go about this process.

I often work with clients whose desire to repurpose has taken them down a path of hoarding too many thing that are unlikely to ever become useful. There are many reasons for this, the most common ones are “too many projects, too little time”, “big plans, no follow-through”, and a general sense that things are “too valuable to just throw out”.

These collections are often made up of things like driftwood, nice looking stones, pressed flowers, broken items that need repairing, odd screws and bolts, piles of magazines, etc. Many of these random things are kept in the spirit of crafting and creating artwork.

This usually results in a collection of things that clog up space and have turned into unfinished projects that feel like a failure, creating a mental block that stops my clients from cutting the cord and be done with the failed projects once and for all.

However, it’s not all bad: there are many items that can be useful. Glass jars, tin cans and cardboard boxes can be great for storing and organising items, and old t-shirts make great rags. Paper bags can be useful for separating smaller items, as compost liners or for craft projects.

In the spirit of crafting, lots of stuff can be great fun to play around with, from wine corks (corkboards or plant markers) to wooden pallets (garden beds or furniture). But even those “useful” items must really be kept under close scrutiny. It’s fine to keep items for immediate use, but holding on to them for future use is a fast lane to overload. Make clear choices what they will be used for in the future before deciding to keep them, and only hold on to what can store without compromising your quality of life.

Of course, there are also many things that are NOT worth hanging on to, including complimentary plastic cutlery and the chopsticks that come with takeout meals, single use plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, plastic straws, etc.
The important point here is simple: separate what you are likely to actually use from anything that you keep “just in case”. If you make clear choices, knowing what to do with the items you intend to reuse, and realistically understanding your ability to actually follow through with those plans, you’ll end up with a collection of useful items rather than a pile of junk.

On that note: the broken chair you intended to fix for the last 15 years really has had its chance and can now go!