In the fight against clutter there is an army that is hard to conquer. They’re big, noisy, relentless and…plastic. Yes, plastic. Parents can hardly remember a time when they could walk carefree through their living room without feeling like maneuvering through a minefield, calculating every step to avoid the painful *crunch* of a toy underfoot. But what are all of these toys and where did they come from? A more practical question still is how can we reduce them without causing a meltdown?

Toy Marketers Are Geniuses

Before we blame our kids for the explosion of toys in our homes we need to look to the causes, which include ourselves—the parents (who likely either purchased or accepted these toys in the first place); as well as well-meaning family and friends, a barrage of gift-centric holidays and society in general for pushing the message that more toys will make happier kids. Toys are marketed to fill a perceived need, the key word being perceived. How many of us, after your children appear bored, think that buying them a new toy will solve the problem? We stroll through the aisles looking at toys that claim to bring “hours of enjoyment” or “stimulate creativity in your child”, and shell out our hard-earned cash banking on the promises we read. Unfortunately, most of the time the toys will barely pique their interest, only to be banished to the toy-box—or “the pit” as I affectionately call it. We must acknowledge that we are part of the problem in order to stop the cycle of consumerism. This is not a guilt-trip. Marketers spend millions of dollars every year in order to get kids wanting more toys and convincing parents to buy them. But here’s the secret they’ll never tell you: your kids can live with less.

Learning How To Play

The problem with so many modern toys is that they have, in essence, removed their playability. True toys are ones that give a child a vessel for creativity, allowing them to create their own adventures and stories with the toy. I’m amazed by the potential for creativity in the most mundane of objects: a pair of chopsticks become drumsticks, magic wands, batons for twirling and more. And all of the noise I hear is no longer generic sounds created by a toy factory across the world; instead I hear the laughter and narrative of play coming from my own children. Choosing quality over quantity is important, here are some tips to help you to know what to look for in toys:

• Choose Toys That Promote Activity. Balls that bounce, frisbees, jump ropes, a ball and glove all allow our kids to expend some of their (seemingly endless) energy.
• You get what you pay for. Quality toys may cost more than what you are accustom to paying, but wouldn’t you rather have fewer, well made toys than dozens of mediocre ones?
• Choose toys that allow for storytelling. Clothing and accessories for dress-up are a wonderful way for children to be creative and practice a narrative. Also invest in some people and animal figures and allow your kids to mix and match any ‘sets’ you may have. Puppets are another great way to tell a story.
• Building toys promote creativity. Lego, K’Nex, Lincoln Logs, marble runs are some examples of interactive toys that encourage hours of play. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple pencil and piece of paper.
• Check out vintage toys. I love vintage toys for many reasons: they remind me of a simpler time; they do not often have batteries, and I know they have stood the test of many years of play. Just be aware that vintage toys may have parts that are hazards for young children, especially if it has any broken or missing pieces.

Lastly, don’t get frustrated if your kids won’t magically play for hours in a cardboard box after you reduce their toy collection. Creativity, though innate in kids, is a skill they may need to work on if they haven’t been practicing it for awhile. The greatest way to get your kids invested in play is to play with them! Let your child dress you up and create a story, letting them take the lead. Another way to help them engage in play is to get them to set up a scene with their figures, then prompt them with questions like “where are they going?” or “who else is going to join this party?”. When you play with your children you will be amazed at the wonderful places you can go with them, all without leaving your home.

Links

Cheryl and Jean-Francois Moreau recently launched their site “Revive” which focuses on simplifying various aspects of people’s lives including their spaces, minds, bodies, and relationships. You can find that at Revivers.ca, and we’ll have links in the shownotes. They’re out of Ottawa, Canada, and you can follow them on Twitter @reviversca and check them out on Facebook, too!

Photo Credit Theen Moy 

Have you ever pondered the sheer number of choices, options and features of goods and services available to you?

While an abundance of options may result in economic benefit, higher quality, and a better fit for personal taste and circumstance, there may also be some undesirable outcomes. Such may occur when the number of available options exceed the number of options we can successfully or confidently manage.

The Danger of Too Many Options

In 2006, Barry Schwartz addressed the consequences of option overload in his TED talk entitled “Paradox of Choice”. Mr. Schwartz noted that while we tend to celebrate the increase in options, we often fail to recognize the potential negative outcomes caused by option overload. These outcomes can be summarized as follows:

1. Overwhelm / Analysis Paralysis. This can occur when the options are so numerous or so difficult to compare that we simply decline to make a selection. This can occur even when our failure to choose will have measurable negative consequences. For example, Mr. Schwartz references the correlation between decreased participation in 401K programs as investment options increase.

 2. Dissatisfaction / Doubt. With the numerous options available, we have come to expect that carefully making our selection will result in the perfect fit for our needs and taste. In fact, our expectations may be so high that we may actually feel dissatisfied with an excellent selection because we come to question whether a different choice would have resulted in a better outcome.

 3. Self-Blame. In the past, we might have viewed unsatisfactory options and undesirable choices as an unavoidable situation. In contrast, given the options available today, we tend to blame ourselves if we make what we might perceive in hindsight to have been the wrong choice. In addition, this potential regret can be compounded in complex, high-pressure situations in which informed consent and risk management considerations require professionals to shift full responsibility for difficult decision making to the patient or client.

 4. Increased Appetite. Increased options may also increase our desire for something. Chefs recognize that increased variety in entrees and sides tends to increase the diner’s appetite. Conversely, a regular static meal (i.e. chicken every Tuesday night) assists with regulating appetite. Increased options also increase demand in other situations. For example, consider the increase in sales when car dealerships and retail stores are clustered together.

 5. Misallocation of Resources. Increased options may also increase opportunities for misallocation of resources. For example, consider how pondering relatively inconsequential choices may serve as an opportunity to distract ourselves from making important decisions and/or fulfilling responsibilities.

Better Outcomes with Selective Reduction of Options

In addition to reducing the negative outcomes described above, reducing options may result in significant positive effects. While reducing choice to improve satisfaction may seem counter intuitive, examples are commonplace. Ask yourself the following questions: Why do athletes enjoy attending training camps? Why do some joggers lay out their clothes for the next morning’s run? Why did Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, among others, standardize their wardrobes?

Reducing options not only improves focus, it also reduces resistance. We all find it easier and more enjoyable to stay on track when distraction and temptation are reduced.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, though we are each wondrously unique with respect to our priorities and ability to make decisions, we can all benefit by limiting the resources we spend on making inconsequential choices. In so doing, we can better preserve our time, effort and bandwidth for making the decisions that count.

Link

Barry Schwartz’s TED talk: “Paradox of Choice”