Or perhaps we inherited a hoarding instinct from our primitive ancestors, who saved and stored whatever they could because they had so little. And what little they had was subject to attack by the elements, predators, and marauders.
In modern times, the hoarding gene is about as useful as the eat-till-you're stuffed gene--and has similar effects.
Whatever the cause, there's clutter, clutter everywhere "Clutter happens to all of us," says Barbara Hemphill, who has 25 years of professional organizing experience and is coauthor of the book Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. "The question really is: How quickly can we recover from clutter?" she says.
You've probably heard the saying "Don't put it down--put it away." If following that advice solves your clutter problem, you're lucky. The greater problem comes if there is no "away". To put a spin on another old saying, if there is no place for everything, how can everything be in its place?
What is Clutter?
There is no single definition of clutter, because one person's clutter is another's delight. But people who help others declutter their surroundings agree on a few principles.
Here are some basic ideas about clutter:
- Clutter is anything that bothers you because it is disorganized or chaotic.
- Clutter consist of things you don't love or don't use--unfinished projects and too many objects in too small a space.
- Clutter makes you feel overwhelmed, smothered, not in control of your space, victimized, scattered, or unfulfilled.
- Clutter may be a symptom of a lack of clarity about who you are and what your life is about.
- Clutter is like the static on a radio. It's a distraction and an interference.
- Clutter is stressful.
The first step in getting rid of clutter is, according to professional organizer Harriet Schechter: Make the decision either to accept clutter and quit complaining about it--or to do something about it.
The benefits of removing clutter include these:
The benefits of removing clutter include these:
- You will find that cleaning up is easier.
- Your desk/table//room/house will look cleaner
- You'll have more time for things that are important to you.
- You'll feel better.
Steps for Confronting Clutter
Although looking at clutter typically makes people feel paralyzed and overwhelmed, the process of getting rid of it is actually quite simple, according to organizing expert Regina Leeds.
Organizing your home, office, files, desk, or anything else boils down to three steps.
- Eliminate the things you don't need, want, use, or love.
- Categorize what remains by grouping similar things together.
- Organize the categories by having--here's that old chestnut again--a place for everything and everything in its place.
Whatever system of organization you come up with should fulfill three requirements, Leeds says. The system should be
- Beautiful, in the sense that it makes you happy to look at it and work in it.
- Functional, because such beauty without function is meaningless.
- Easy for the user to maintain
expert advice
Do You Need Serious Clutter Therapy? >
There are two types of people who live amid clutter day after day, say organizing skills, and others are cluttered for deeper psychological reasons.
Helping the first group is easy, she says. Show them the brilliance of storing all of the Christmas decorations in one place instead of scattered all over the house, and a light bulb will go off in their heads. Once they learn the skills, they easily become organized.
The second group may have deep-seated reasons for cluttering, going back to childhood--such as a feeling of deprivation or insecurity. Having lots of stuff may give them a feeling of fake prosperity, Leeds says.
Do You Need Serious Clutter Therapy? >
There are two types of people who live amid clutter day after day, say organizing skills, and others are cluttered for deeper psychological reasons.
Helping the first group is easy, she says. Show them the brilliance of storing all of the Christmas decorations in one place instead of scattered all over the house, and a light bulb will go off in their heads. Once they learn the skills, they easily become organized.
The second group may have deep-seated reasons for cluttering, going back to childhood--such as a feeling of deprivation or insecurity. Having lots of stuff may give them a feeling of fake prosperity, Leeds says.
Analyze Your Clutter Clusters
Once you've decided to do something about clutter, begin by analyzing your clutter clusters. Make a list of them. If you have trouble doing that off the top of your
head, then go room to room and make a written note of any clutter you encounter. Then group the items into categories.
Paper is a major clutter category. If you have clutter, some of it is almost certainly paper. What is your specific pattern of creating paper clutter-unread newspapers and magazines, old mail, unorganized clippings, children's school papers, old love letters, notes, or lists? All of the above?
Clothing is another common clutter factor. Is your problem that clothes aren't organized, or is it that you're chronically unable to get rid of things that no longer
fit, are out of style, are worn out, or are never worn for some reason?
After those two categories, clutter patterns look like the many tributaries of a mighty river--they're all over the map. Some books, videos and CDs, electronics, hobbies,
children's toys, and kitchen utensils.
Before you begin your clutter attack, recognize that the feeling of being overwhelmed goes with the territory, and don't let it stop you. Break the job into smallparts, because each tiny part that you conquer will lift your spirits.
To pick a starting point, find the area that bothers you the most. If it's a large area, like the basement, pick one tiny part let's say a bureau you've stored there. Now pick one tiny part of that--a single drawer.
Or maybe your most irritating area is the kitchen table, where you can hardly find space to eat because of all the papers and other stuff. Pick a pilf from one corner of the table.
Simple Solutions
Throw a Decluttering Party >
If you want some outside help but don't want to hire a professional organizer, enlist a friend to become a "clutter buddy," says organizing expert Harriet Schechter.
Make a date every week or so: One of you takes two or three boxes of clutter to the other's house. Go through your clutter together, and use triage and a timer to move quickly through the items. Allot, say, 30 minutes to each box. After two or three hours, celebrate over dinner.
A trusted friend makes the best clutter buddy, Schechter says, because spouses and family members are more likely to be judgmental. The idea is to create a festive atmosphere in which to help each other "see what's absurd" in the mess. And it's important to laugh with, not at, each other.
Medics' Secret: Triage
Go to work on your chosen area using a triage system. The term comes from a system of priorities used in an emergency room or at a disaster scene to sort patients
according to how urgently they need care. In other words, it's a system of categorizing and setting priorities.
A triage system for dealing with clutter includes categories for
Once you've decided to do something about clutter, begin by analyzing your clutter clusters. Make a list of them. If you have trouble doing that off the top of your
head, then go room to room and make a written note of any clutter you encounter. Then group the items into categories.
Paper is a major clutter category. If you have clutter, some of it is almost certainly paper. What is your specific pattern of creating paper clutter-unread newspapers and magazines, old mail, unorganized clippings, children's school papers, old love letters, notes, or lists? All of the above?
Clothing is another common clutter factor. Is your problem that clothes aren't organized, or is it that you're chronically unable to get rid of things that no longer
fit, are out of style, are worn out, or are never worn for some reason?
After those two categories, clutter patterns look like the many tributaries of a mighty river--they're all over the map. Some books, videos and CDs, electronics, hobbies,
children's toys, and kitchen utensils.
Before you begin your clutter attack, recognize that the feeling of being overwhelmed goes with the territory, and don't let it stop you. Break the job into smallparts, because each tiny part that you conquer will lift your spirits.
To pick a starting point, find the area that bothers you the most. If it's a large area, like the basement, pick one tiny part let's say a bureau you've stored there. Now pick one tiny part of that--a single drawer.
Or maybe your most irritating area is the kitchen table, where you can hardly find space to eat because of all the papers and other stuff. Pick a pilf from one corner of the table.
Simple Solutions
Throw a Decluttering Party >
If you want some outside help but don't want to hire a professional organizer, enlist a friend to become a "clutter buddy," says organizing expert Harriet Schechter.
Make a date every week or so: One of you takes two or three boxes of clutter to the other's house. Go through your clutter together, and use triage and a timer to move quickly through the items. Allot, say, 30 minutes to each box. After two or three hours, celebrate over dinner.
A trusted friend makes the best clutter buddy, Schechter says, because spouses and family members are more likely to be judgmental. The idea is to create a festive atmosphere in which to help each other "see what's absurd" in the mess. And it's important to laugh with, not at, each other.
Medics' Secret: Triage
Go to work on your chosen area using a triage system. The term comes from a system of priorities used in an emergency room or at a disaster scene to sort patients
according to how urgently they need care. In other words, it's a system of categorizing and setting priorities.
A triage system for dealing with clutter includes categories for
- Discarding
- Keeping
- Taking action
When applying a triage system, your discard pile may include items to be trashed, donated, sold, or recycled. Items to keep may be papers to file, clothing to hang up,
or sports equipment to put away. Things to take action on might include bills to pay, school papers to sign, library books or videos to return, or purchases to exchange.
Triage can be applied to any kind of clutter or potential clutter, including incoming mail, piles of paper, and boxes of stuffed stored in the attic.
Make your judgements quickly. As you perform triage, don't linger over times. Be ruthless. Depending on how old your pile is, you've managed without some items
for weeks, months, or years. So you can probably do without them forever.
If you have things you are going to keep and store away--for instance, children's clothing that will be handed down to younger kids in a few years--sort and label them
well. For example, have separate boxes for "1-2 years," "3-4 years," and so on. Don't mix everything together and create a future nightmare when you want to find something.
or sports equipment to put away. Things to take action on might include bills to pay, school papers to sign, library books or videos to return, or purchases to exchange.
Triage can be applied to any kind of clutter or potential clutter, including incoming mail, piles of paper, and boxes of stuffed stored in the attic.
Make your judgements quickly. As you perform triage, don't linger over times. Be ruthless. Depending on how old your pile is, you've managed without some items
for weeks, months, or years. So you can probably do without them forever.
If you have things you are going to keep and store away--for instance, children's clothing that will be handed down to younger kids in a few years--sort and label them
well. For example, have separate boxes for "1-2 years," "3-4 years," and so on. Don't mix everything together and create a future nightmare when you want to find something.
If you have a lot of sentimental memorabilia, ask yourself whether there is some other way to keep it. Instead of saving your daughter's science project, for example,
take a photo of her with the project and throw the project away. Keep photo albums and scrapbooks up to date, well labeled, and accessible.
Turn off the Tap
Even before you have completed a household organization plan, start taking steps to reduce incoming clutter. Think of your clutter as an overflowing bathtub. Before you mop up the water
on the floor and bail out the tub, you turn off the spigot.
For less clutter in your life, here are some steps to consider:
- Focus more on doing and being in your life, not having.
- Whenever you're tempted to buy something, decide whether your buying impulse falls into the "worthwhile" or "future clutter" category. Like the right marriage partner, the worth while items will be just as worthwhile if you wait.
- Buy cloth shopping bags and use them to cut down on bags you bring home.
- Stop subscriptions to magazines that you somehow never get around to reading.
- Instead of buying things that you'll use just once or rarely ever, rent them.
expert advice
Blending Two Households >
Remarriage creates special clutter challenges. People bring more stuff--including children and their stuff--to second marriages, and putting two households together isn't easy.
Regina Leeds, whose book sharing a Place Without Losing Your Space addresses the subject, advises people to make a written inventory of their household goods. It's easier to decide on paper what to keep, and it will open up communication about hidden assumptions.
People who remarry are not the only ones who need help with merging possessions, Leeds, says. College dorm mates, apartment sharers, and even household guests need to know something about organizing and respecting another person's space.
Blending Two Households >
Remarriage creates special clutter challenges. People bring more stuff--including children and their stuff--to second marriages, and putting two households together isn't easy.
Regina Leeds, whose book sharing a Place Without Losing Your Space addresses the subject, advises people to make a written inventory of their household goods. It's easier to decide on paper what to keep, and it will open up communication about hidden assumptions.
People who remarry are not the only ones who need help with merging possessions, Leeds, says. College dorm mates, apartment sharers, and even household guests need to know something about organizing and respecting another person's space.
No comments:
Post a Comment