Questioning our habits

I am always fascinated by the “why” behind behaviors my clients have inherited without question. Why do you keep takeout plastic utensils? Why do you put your mugs upside down in the cabinet? Do you actually use all 40 of these supplements? Why are you storing a hundred toilet paper rolls in the basement? Often, it’s the first time they’ve stopped to consider why they do what they do.

Typically, these behaviors are inherited from childhood, or adopted from manipulative marketing messages. During an organizing session, we pause to consider whether this behavior is something they want to consciously continue, or if it’s something inherited that’s never been questioned before.

Recently I came across a Substack post from a fellow organizer who summed it up brilliantly:

It’s kind of like waking up from a dream when you realize that some core belief you’ve held for years is just…marketing.

What might be some behaviors you’ve inherited or picked up without realizing it? Have you ever stopped to question them?

What’s something you do automatically that might not serve you anymore?