Organization and Planning!

DECLUTTERING

I wish my desk looked like this but it doesn’t. However, I am in the process of “getting rid” of some extraneous stuff in my household.

About 13 years ago I downsized when I moved from my house into my apartment. Now I’m in the process of decluttering a few items that I’m either not using or don’t need to be using.

I have to admit I’m a bit of a neat freak. I’m the kind of person who, while sitting in the doctor’s office, I’m looking around to see how dusty the room is. It’s amazing how dusty and dirty it is under the table that we lay on, in what should be sterile.

Anyway, I digress. Back to organizing.

You’d be surprised at how the physical stuff/baggage in your life can impact your mental life.

When I moved from my last home, which was a 4 bedroom, into a two-bedroom apartment, I got rid of everything that I thought was baggage, including my car.

At the time I was only going to the doctor or grocery store. For this, I either got a cab (before Uber) or rented a car. For the times I ventured off to someplace else, I’d rent a car.

When my husband reached the point of going in and out of the hospital, I had to get a car. When he passed 4 years ago, I got rid of a lot but not enough.

Below is my plan–

1. Make a list of Sell—Donate—Trash. Write down everything I want to get rid of in that room. Start and work with one room and complete that room first.
2. I started in the master bedroom. With boxes or bags, go through all the drawers, closets, and jewelry box/armoire. Place all items not wanted in the box or bag.
3. Once that one room is complete, move on to the next room.

Although I’d already decluttered some shortly after my husband’s death, the things that I am using or plan to use someday need to go. It’s difficult for me to get rid of stuff in my kitchen that I claim I’ll one day use although it hasn’t been used in years.

The other difficulty I have is giving away things that I’d like to sell. I decided to just donate because trying to sell is too stressful. Then I was told about an app called Offer Up. So, I may try my luck there for some of the more expensive items that I’m getting rid of.

There are two major reasons I like to try to keep clutter at a minimum and to be as organized as I can.

The first reason: I think it’s selfish to keep a lot of stuff around for someone to deal with when you are either unable or gone. I’ve heard and seen how stressful it is when people have to deal with “all that stuff “. I don’t want my family to have to experience this.

The second reason is that my mental health, emotional health, and psychological health are tied up with how organized and decluttered I am. I seriously cannot function as well mentally when my life is filled with a lot of extraneous stuff.

A lot of clutter takes away some of my joy and peace. And after all that is what I’m about, right?

But this is me.

YOU AND YOURS

Estate Planning is the other area of organizing in my life that I’ve worked on. This is an area that I think is vitally important to help decrease stress for the people in our lives who will be responsible for us if something happens.

This something could be an illness of any kind at any time. We could be perfectly healthy today and leave home and get hit by a vehicle, shot, or have a sudden stroke that we didn’t see coming. Anything can happen at any time so I’m trying to be prepared.

Below are some ways to start—

The first thing I did was to seek an Elder Attorney.

If you decide to seek an attorney and you’re over 65, you should seek an attorney who specializes in elder issues. They know the ins and outs of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and VA laws and issues. Unless your resources are simple. If there is nothing complicated like real estate, businesses, etc. And if you do not need Medicaid, then you may want to set up through a company like Wills and Trust. It is simpler and much less expensive.

One of the suggestions I got from my attorney was to check out and select the assisted living/nursing home facilities that I would rather be admitted to if I had to go there. That’s difficult because in my area I haven’t seen any that I would like to go to.

The plan at this time is to have a caregiver live with me so I can stay home as long as I can. But here again, we don’t know what could happen. Something could happen to the degree that I can’t be cared for at home.

My attorney gave me a package to complete that included any information needed in the event of my illness or demise.

If you choose not to have an attorney, you can always go online and print out documents with all of the information that you need.

This is what I have done to date–

1. List of all of my bank account information that includes the password information for those, like me, that do all of their business online.
2. List of all personal information that includes passwords, account numbers, Social Security, Insurance(s), bills
3. List of all doctors including their phone numbers and specialty.
4. Copy of your will showing the disposition of your estate upon your death.
5. Financial Power of Attorney that can manage your financial affairs should you become unable to manage them yourself.
6. Health Care Power of Attorney that can authorize the release of health information to designated persons. This person can make medical decisions for you when you cannot.
7. Advanced Medical Directive which informs your doctors of your end-of-life wishes.
8. Memorial instructions that include your wishes as to burial or cremation services or lack thereof.
9. Anatomical Gift Form if you should want your body parts donated for medical research or transplantation.
10. Internet Account Access Information form that will provide information on everything important for access. This could include the web address, account numbers, login/username, passwords, etc.

This probably seems like a lot if you haven’t given it any real thought and it will take a little time. But for me, this is another part of organizing that takes a load off my mind while reducing stress for the family.

Understand that a Health Care Power of Attorney does not have the same power as a Financial Power of Attorney. Understand that your Will is not the same as your Advanced Medical Directive.

My attorney and his partner wrote a booklet that they give to all their clients titled “How Not to go Broke in a Nursing Home”. This is vital information for many in this situation because, depending on your situation, depends on how to handle legal issues and how to save money or at least how not to give away what have.

Whether you decide to organize or plan or simply tell yourself that you’ll do it later or when you die someone will do it, is obviously up to you.

But whatever you decide, I hope the choice brings you peace and Zen. Because that’s what I wish for us all.