Let’s face it: clutter happens. The cure for clutter requires knowing why it happened in the first place and coming up with solutions and prevention strategies tailored to your clutter causes. Real Simple has a great article, The Top 6 Excuses for Clutter, that walks through 6 common clutter causes and what to do about them.
The 6 major clutter culprits reviewed are:
1) Guilt - “My best friend gave this to me, so I feel guilty getting rid of it.”
2) Perceived Value - “I am planning to sell this someday.”
3) Saving for the Future - “I might need this someday.”
4) Donation Delay - “I want to make sure this will go to someone who really needs it.”
5) Out of Site, Out of Mind - “If I put this away, I’ll never remember to do it.”
6) Inertia - “I want to get organized, but I just don’t know where to begin.”
Check out the article for some great ideas for overcoming these barriers. I see all of these obstacles when I work with people, but I think number 3 is a big culprit. Accumulating stuff is so easy and it can be really challenging for people to get rid of items that they perceive to be useful and that they might need someday. This might be back-up items of things you already own (i.e. extra towels) or items for an activity that you used to do or would like to do (i.e. craft supplies).
The 6 major clutter culprits reviewed are:
1) Guilt - “My best friend gave this to me, so I feel guilty getting rid of it.”
2) Perceived Value - “I am planning to sell this someday.”
3) Saving for the Future - “I might need this someday.”
4) Donation Delay - “I want to make sure this will go to someone who really needs it.”
5) Out of Site, Out of Mind - “If I put this away, I’ll never remember to do it.”
6) Inertia - “I want to get organized, but I just don’t know where to begin.”
Check out the article for some great ideas for overcoming these barriers. I see all of these obstacles when I work with people, but I think number 3 is a big culprit. Accumulating stuff is so easy and it can be really challenging for people to get rid of items that they perceive to be useful and that they might need someday. This might be back-up items of things you already own (i.e. extra towels) or items for an activity that you used to do or would like to do (i.e. craft supplies).
While having extras of certain items that you do routinely use can make sense, the amount that makes sense largely depends on the storage space you have available and the likelihood of your using the extra items in the near future. For example, saving an extra microwave that you inherited from a friend when you have a relatively new one that works perfectly well doesn’t make much sense. Somebody else could probably use it more than you could, and your space could also be put to better use. Pick the one you like better and give the other to someone else. It is not doing anyone any good to have it sitting in your basement - and it is in fact doing harm by contributing to a cluttered home.
If you find yourself saving things for the future, and we all do, ask yourself these questions:
1) Could somebody else use this more than I can right now?
2) Do I value a clean, clutter-free space now more than the potential future use of this item?
Bottom Line: Doing a little soul-searching to figure out the root causes of your clutter will help you turn over a new leaf for a clutter-free future.
If you find yourself saving things for the future, and we all do, ask yourself these questions:
1) Could somebody else use this more than I can right now?
2) Do I value a clean, clutter-free space now more than the potential future use of this item?
Bottom Line: Doing a little soul-searching to figure out the root causes of your clutter will help you turn over a new leaf for a clutter-free future.
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