Clutter and How to Stop It
How do homes get so cluttered? While there are other causes, the one that tops them all is shopping. In fact, I say, there would be no Professional Organizing industry as it exists today, but for the shifts in our consumer habits. If we know buying too much stuff leads to clutter and clutter leads to disorganization, then why do we do it? You have to go deeper than “I buy too much stuff”. The reasons lie in a culmination of all that makes us unique - personality traits, upbringing, habits, beliefs - things that really a psychologist should be dissecting. Why we buy what we buy is really their department, but since I’ve been the person standing at the door wielding a smile and a shovel, I’ll share my humble observations.
Before we dive in, I want to make sure you understand why clutter leads to disorganization. Clutter leads to displacement, inefficiency and impulsivity. Examine this flow chart below and start thinking about your own personal “flow of stuff”. You can download this FREE PRINTABLE HERE if it helps keep you accountable with your clutter.
CLUTTER FLOW CHART
When you have clutter it gets harder to visually see what you have and where it is. When you are shopping and deciding whether to buy another something, you can’t remember exactly how many somethings you already own or where to find them, so it’s just plain easier to buy another something. It comes home with you and it gets placed...somewhere. Soon the functionality, or organization, of the home is crippled. Tasks are hard to accomplish and rooms lose their intended purpose. Often we feel a variety of negative emotions in response: fatigue, shame, anxiety and “brain fog”.
I want you to feel welcome in your own home and have confidence to invite others in (see my organizing philosophy here). Like all organizing habits though, it requires further self-examination to motivate change. As much as we hope the organizing process will be a “Wizard of Oz” wand wave, it’s a little more of a “Goonies” adventure.
Below are my TOP 3 CLUTTER-CAUSING OBSERVATIONS WITH ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS you can implement today.
Observation #1 We turned our shopping up to 11.
It used to be a major purchase to buy a new dress. Now it’s just an average Wednesday. Manufacturing has gotten cheaper and better allowing us to gain access to easy, cheap goods that are quickly replaceable with the next version of easy, cheap goods. Aside from fast fashion being a leader in waste and human trafficking, it has dramatically reduced the need to think through what we buy. We no longer have to weigh our decision to purchase the way generations before us had to do. So, we buy and we ask questions later.
Alternative Solution - Set up parameters that weigh your decision to buy
Do you love it? Or Just Like it? Don’t confuse appreciation for a style with the desire to wear that style yourself.
Is there another version of this that I like more, or would last longer, if I exercised patience?
Am I upset right now and purchasing from an emotional place?
How many of these do I already own? Or, do I already own something that can perform this same function?
Is this for a “what-if” situation? Example, If I start working out I’ll need more leggings.
Observation #2 - High volumes of pretty stuff became our home décor trend.
Right this moment I’m staring at an organizing “after” image of a huge kitchen drawer. It’s gigantic, and it is filled to the brim with row after row of perfectly folded hand towels. These kinds of images are the Evil Knievel of organizing - don’t try this at home! The uniformity makes a pretty picture and one we can certainly get inspiration from and learn from, but to recreate that uniformity you would have to over-consume on hand towels by about 30. We mistakenly think, “I don’t have too much, I just need to make it pretty”. Or worse – “to make it pretty, I need to buy more”.
Alternative Solution - Make a specific purchase for a specific need within your personal style
Focus on doing your decor style well.
Take photos of your favorite clothes and home decor - what colors and designs recur?
In general, stay away from multiples of items. When it’s time to replace, practice “1 in 1 out” rule.
Assign volume amounts or footprints for items you do need multiples of - how many hand towels do you use in an average 10 day period?
Am I organizing my space for the way it looks or for functionality - always start at functionality (here’s what I actually use in the space I actually use it in) and let aesthetics close it out (now, how can I arrange it beautifully)?
Observation #3 - Homemaking is no longer valued or taught.
We have forgotten how crucial homemaking is to our basic functionality. Like the fictional persona “Art Vandelay”, you too are in the Import/Export business. The home is a business comprised of many products and services that create a rhythm of ins and outs. It is the business of doing life, but many of these businesses are failing because the manager left and never came back. I’m seeing first hand many people who do not know how to run a home. What they do know how to do is shop, so they turn to new purchases hoping this will make their home run smoothly. I’m not talking about keeping women at home. I’m talking about no longer being an absentee landlord; about acknowledging that the home is a needed and well-deserved focal point for a portion of our attention. Often a new client will show me a very cluttered space and want to know which shelf system I recommend buying. There’s a little more to it then that. Remember, organizing products are inanimate objects whose success or failure is completely subject to how their owner uses them. The shelf, without any changed behavior, will only allow the clutter to climb the walls.
Alternative Solution - Treat your home like a business
Increase profitability - know how to make a monthly budget and identify wasteful spending. You don’t have to be extreme, but it would do us all a bit of good to “make do”. Resourcefulness is a tremendous gift.
Decrease redundancies - Look for what annoys you because, most likely, it means something is harder than it should be. For example, if emptying the dishwasher gives you a workout, then the kitchen needs to be reorganized.
Bring back team building and mentorship programs - Include the whole family in the maintenance of the home. Learn your families strengths and abilities and provide responsibilities for each person to not just pitch in, but to also learn the tasks you are responsible for. Many hands make light work.
Schedule inventory every year - the old habit of annual spring cleaning helps you remember what’s in those dark corners we’ve ignored all year.
Develop a business strategy - meet regularly to assess the family calendar and plan ahead. Schedule the extra work you know will come with the holidays, birthdays, house projects, trips, etc…well in advance. Learn time blocking and apply it to the daily responsibilities assigned to those obligations.
Subcontract as necessary - the employees of your home business may not be able to keep up with the work. That’s ok. Prioritize the home in the family budget with subcontractors that allow for your family’s preferred ratio of time vs. money.
Each year in my profession I drop off donations equaling probably thousands of dollars of unnecessary and redundant purchases. Changing how you shop can not only transform your home, it can transform your finances, how you work, how you vacation, the relationships you have and even your physical health. The Home should be a refuge – a place of relationship, nourishment and replenishment. If, on average, your home does not feel this way, I encourage you to think through whether shopping is part of the reason. Seek out positive people in your life who can bring accountability. If your reasons for over shopping are emotional, having a trusted, positive, for-you person is essential. If you are married, I strongly encourage allowing your spouse to be your “eyes” in this area. If you don’t find success with those then Professional Organizers and Therapists are, in many instances, better than the spouse or loved one because they can help you understand it more and they are removed from it.
You can have a clutter-free life, and it’s my joy to help you.
