Believe it or not, that headline has nothing to do with travel. The latter term, “transformation tourism” is something coined by Seth Godin. It refers to our penchant for attempting changes in our lives and then giving up on those transformations when the going gets a little rough. Think your stereotypical New Year’s resolution.
The term may invoke a travel term—tourism—yet nothing explains the term better than our attempts to declutter our homes.
For many, the attempt to reclaim your home from clutter starts with a trip to Target to buy storage bins and other containers. Organizing your clutter does buy some short-term relief, it does not address the real issue: committing to long-term change on how you view stuff.
We love our stuff. We love buying it. We love wearing it, playing with it or doing whatever it is you do with stuff. At least the first time. Maybe a second or third. Yet many Americans tire of our stuff in fairly short order. That’s when stuff piles up.
Getting “organized” and buying storage bins for your stuff only gives you a better way to accumulate stuff. Eventually, those bins will fill and then overflow. And your travel towards transformation comes full circle.
The key to making your transformation destination a one-way stop lies in your mind, not in the housewares section of Walmart or Target. Avoid buying stuff you don’t really need. And there are any number of techniques you can use to make those commitments stick.
When it comes to buying things for your home, ask if that purchase is truly necessary. Do you have an item that already serves that purpose or needs replacing? If you’re unsure, take a walk around the store one time to think about it. If you decide you still want to make that purchase after your lap, buy it. But at least you put some thought into it.
For your home, the transition to declutter starts with baby steps. That can be as simple as a commitment to spending five minutes a day cleaning out a drawer or a particular room. I cover that in greater detail in a recent blog post.
Typically, it takes 21 days for your trip to transition to become your final destination: a habit. But it can only become a destination when you address the root cause: your behavior and attitude towards stuff.
Want help in starting your transformation? Drop a line or give me a call at 508-246-6120.
