Simplifying A-Z: C-Clutter
The alphabet of organizing! Or, how to simplify your life one letter at a time!
C – Clutter
That one small word can strike fear in the eyes of women, children and well-groomed men! It can also bring on feelings of disgust, exhaustion, overwhelm, anger, sadness and embarrassment for all of us!
Clutter has become synonymous with confusion, but at its core, it’s simply a delayed decision! This means that every place in your space where you have clutter lie decisions that have been postponed. Sometimes that’s just because you don’t know where to put something because it doesn’t have a ‘home’, or that you’re too busy to put things into their proper ‘homes’, or sometimes, it goes much deeper than that. For some, decision-making is paralyzing, and the more difficult it is the larger the clutter grows, until it becomes completely overwhelming. This is when we get into issues of hoarding. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everyone who has difficulty making decisions has hoarding tendencies. If that were true, we would all have therapists on speed-dial! Hoarding is on the extreme side of the clutter spectrum. However, clutter, whether big or small, causes problems if left unchecked.
Clutter usually creeps up slowly, starting with a few pieces of mail on the dining room table, some clothes on the bedroom floor, or dishes in the bathtub (who can relate??). At first, it’s easily remedied and has more to do with cleaning than with lack of organization. However, no matter the size, shape or smell of the clutter, it all takes its toll on our state of well-being. Clutter causes:
• Restlessness. With an unsettled space come unsettled emotions — your mind is constantly thinking about everything that needs to be done.
• Lack of Focus. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, you might find yourself weighed down with feelings of guilt about your space. Then your brain becomes overwhelmed trying to process your surroundings.
• Wasted time. Your frustration level soars when you can’t find what you need.
• Wasted Money. When you need something but can’t find it, you end up buying it again, even though you know you have it ‘somewhere’.
According to WebMD decreasing clutter and organizing your space leads to better emotional health. When we know what we have and where to find it, we feel more at peace and are able to focus on more important things, like spending time with loved ones, paying bills on time and watching that Love Boat marathon this weekend! What can be better than that?
Clutter is delayed decisions
Clutter is a slippery slope that can get out of hand quickly
Clutter causes us to miss out on things we enjoy
Closet-Before
Closet-After