Happy Valentines Day!  Simply Placed wishes you a day filled with friendship and love. And of course, that you make time and space for your relationships to thrive.

If you have a significant other, you’ve probably encountered a time (or many times) when “stuff” has become an emotionally charged topic.  Whether it’s that comfortable (but ugly) LazyBoy that your partner refuses get rid of, or a collection of handbags that you may be clinging to but that your partner feels is “too much” … we all have to face that relationships come with a lot of baggage – literally!  How do you deal with “stuff” when it comes to your relationships?

A 2016 study by SpareFoot came up with some interesting data:

• In relationships, men’s items are often the first to go. The study found that 60% of men in a relationship frequently stop their significant other from throwing out an item they want to keep.

• 90% of Americans in a relationship admit if they knew there wouldn’t be consequences, they’d get rid of some of their significant other’s possessions.

• Almost half (48%) of couples who live together say they argue over clutter.

How can you make time and space for your relationships to thrive?

Have a meeting of the minds about the “stuff”

If you feel like “stuff” is an issue that’s getting in the way of your relationship having time to thrive, talk about it. When it comes time to clear clutter and organize a space, focus on your things. Consider and negotiate for compromises that could be a win-win for the relationship.

We don’t ever advise getting rid of someone else’s things – let the individual make decisions on what to keep and what to clear, but speak up if things in a shared space are causing issues. Make sure to communicate what is not working for you in a space, and why. Let the other person know how you’re impacted by the way the space is now. Decide together on a solution for alternate ways to store or organize the items, or a compromise on the quantity of items in a certain space so that each person in the space and relationship feels heard, their needs considered, and that the things that are most important to them are honored, easy to find, easy to access. Don’t let stuff cause issues in the relationship.

Choose people over things

The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus say “Love People, Use Things” – they even wrote a book with that title. How can you focus on the positives of the relationship over the stuff in the space? Perhaps this Valentine’s Day, instead of adding more stuff, give each other the gift of an experience. Relationships thrive on quality time spent, not on money spent.  Build your relationship by making memories, sharing activities and interests, and not by adding more things or keepsakes that you’ll have to figure out how to store.

Even better, give the gift of time!

Though we’ll leave relationship counseling to those with the training to provide such services, Simply Placed would love to help you have more time to do the things you love.  Our “It’s About Time” membership program is designed to help busy professionals create more time for spending on the things (and the people!) they love. Additionally, our Private Coaching is designed to help you make a productivity transformation that takes you from overwhelmed and frazzled to calm and in control, consistently achieving desired results and having more time for what matters most.

Set up a Discovery Call today to find out how Simply Placed can help you with the gift of time!