Picture your Dream Home. I bet it is not filled with clutter. - Joshua Becker
I recently downsized from a 2,200 square-foot home with plenty of closets, a large attic, and a 2-car garage. My new historic home is 1,300 square feet with no closets, attic, or garage. However, before the move – I had to evict my roommate – and his name was Clutter. Clutter had some bad habits that even the most tolerant person would refuse to put up with.
What is Clutter?
Clutterers Anonymous describes clutter as “Anything we do not need, want, or use that takes our time, energy, or space, and destroys our serenity. It can be outgrown clothes, obsolete papers, broken toys, disliked gifts, meaningless activity, ancient resentments, or unsatisfying relationships. Objects may be strewn about or wedged into drawers, neatly stacked, or stowed in storage.
How Do You Know When it is Time to Evict Your Clutter?
1. You feel like you are always cleaning. My roommate - Clutter was what is known as high-maintenance. He was extremely needy and messy.
2. You are constantly organizing. I tried organizing Clutter to bring order to the house, but what I really was doing was just moving his stuff around.
3. You can not seem to find important items. Clutter turned out to be a thief. He stole my time, my peace of mind, and my things when I really needed them.
4. The constant pressure of Clutter in the house gives you anxiety. I became claustrophobic and felt like a prisoner in my own home.
5. Clutter makes you ashamed of the disorder in your home. As long as Clutter was in the house, I was constantly scrambling to hide the evidence, and eventually, I would not even invite people into my home.
6. You avoid being home. I didn’t feel comfortable and felt like a prisoner in my own home – it was time to permanently evict Clutter!
Is Your Life Better with Clutter or Without Him?
Decluttering is not merely eliminating, but a process where you decide whether the items in your space are actually clutter and if not, decide where the clutter belongs, and then act on that decision.
We all must face clutter in the way that is right for us. We are all different – in what possessions we value, the kinds of surrounding that we find pleasurable, the kinds of habits that come naturally to us, and the dynamics of our household or workplace. There is no right or wrong way to declutter. For some people what looks like the disorder is just fine.
Outer Order contributes to inner calm. Gretchen Rubin
There Is Not One Right or Wrong way to declutter.
Experts insist that they have found the one true and right way. When getting advice, we all love to receive a precise, standardized template for success, and when giving advice, we love to insist that the strategy that works so well for us will surely work for others. But each of us must find our own way. Some people want to clear a little clutter each day, some want to work for fourteen hours straight.
Rather than striving for a particular level of possessions – minimal or otherwise – it is helpful to think about getting rid of what is superfluous. Even people who prefer to own many possessions enjoy their surroundings more when they have purged everything that is not needed, used, or loved.