When I defined clutter I gave a few examples of what physical and mental clutter might look like. Clutter is not always a bad thing. Clutter is manageable. I don’t expect anyone reading this to aim for perfection. We live busy lives and clutter can happen. However, when you don’t do anything about the clutter and it is left indefinitely, unmanaged clutter accumulates, therefore becoming stepping stones leading to disorganization.
Let’s take the two examples I shared with you previously and turn those instances of clutter into disorganization. Remember our two causes of clutter are things without a home and thoughts that clutter the mind…
Example #1 Messy Medication
Cluttered stuff looks like… 10 different medications/vitamins sitting out on the counter; some are in use and some are not. You are always shuffling them around and you just can’t help but feel like there could be a better way of dealing with them.
Disorganization of stuff looks like… instead of organizing, finding a proper home, and setting up a routine for your medications, your ten different pill bottles have now grown to fifteen. Some are expired or you don’t really need them anymore but hold on to them anyway. You are missing doses of your daily meds because you have no system in place for reminding you to take them. Even worse you can’t remember when you took the last pill so you ended up taking a double dose.
When stuff compounds and doesn’t get managed it leads to disorganization.
Example #2 Clothing Craze
A cluttered mind looks like… you love sales and shop all the time because you are discontent with the clothing you already own and yet feel inadequate when you wear certain things. You keep telling yourself to keep buying the latest and greatest because it will make you feel better.
A cluttered mind causing disorganization looks like… instead of implementing a rule of “one in one out” (when you buy something, get rid of something) the clothes start taking over. Perhaps by now you are becoming emotionally attached to the clothes, saying things like “I remember when I wore this and we did this”, or “I might wear this again” even if you haven’t worn it in three years. Mentally we try to come up with reasons not to part with items especially if they have caused us joy in the past.
When we become emotionally attached to things, if left uncontrolled, the clutter can lead to disorganization.
Clutter is easy to manage when the proper systems and habits are set in place. It takes time and commitment to make it happen but it is achievable. How long does it take you to clear the clutter? If you can do a quick pick up in 5 minutes and return everything to it’s rightful home you’re doing pretty great. If it takes you 30 minutes or more to tackle a small area like a counter or closet I would suggest taking a good look at what is going on.
Remember, clutter is any thing or thought that prevents you from living life to the fullest!
What are your biggest clutter problem areas at the moment?
[photo: HenryBloomfield CC BY-ND 2.0]
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
For me, basic clutter is our breakfast nook table. I call it clutter because spending 5, maybe 10 minutes clears it off. I have a basket on the table meant to house our camera & video camera (we are always reaching for one or the other) but that basket seems to collect a variety of other items too. A random piece from a toy, some mail that didn’t make it to the office right away…all those little bits and pieces that a person doesn’t know what to do or are perceived as to small to deal with right at that moment so they go in the basket. I like to call it “lazy clutter” because the bits & pieces are so random, there’s really no system to put into place. It’s just a matter of taking two minutes to clean it all up.
I know what you mean. I would drive myself crazy if I tried to keep up with the little bits every single day. That’s why I think it is important for people to realize that striving for that perfect space might not happen. But being able to pick up and have everything in place in 5 minutes is close enough!
This reminds me a lot of what we see every week on Hoarders. Small pockets of things being held onto for emotional reasons becomes chaos if left untended.
It’s so easy for things to get out of control.
My desk. I have piles and piles everywhere. Yes I have a filing cabinet but sitting down to sort and file seems so overwhelming. When I do sort I just sort the piles into like piles. Piles of bills, piles of notices from the kids’ school, piles of you name it. I’ve tried baskets but it’s the same thing as the piles. Once something is in a pile or basket there is no routine or system in place for acting on the piles or baskets. So frustrating.
Our bedroom. It’s like a giant closet (our closet it tiny and filled with mostly HIS clothes) and clothes end up all over the place. I got rid of a lot of the clothes last summer, but need to do a lot more weeding! Also our laundrey room is a big part of our basement and is frighteningly messy!
Tanna, I think you hit it right on the head when you mention the word systems. You are right, some clutter is manageable and normal and only presents a problem when it gets worse and actually interupts ones ability to function on a day to day basis.
To really manage anything you need to have a system that becomes a habit. Often we don’t realize that we have systems for many of the things that we do, such as laundry or taking out the garbage.
The point here being that where you don’t have systems they need to be put into place so that your clutter doesn’t become out of control and once you do have it under control it stays that way.
It’s interesting how there is a whole lot more to it then just picking it up – good post!
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