The Character of Clutter

Clutter has a great deal more value than any professional organizer is willing to admit.  It’s much easier to simply dispense with it and depart another satisfied client’s home, payment in hand.  Yet, after nearly a decade in the business of organizing other people’s stuff I have come to realize that clutter has value. 

Clutter consists of things left undone.  It can be anything awaiting action.  It can contain keys to those areas of Life we avoid or delay.  It indicates potential and unexplored territory; emotionally, mentally and physically.  

It is rich with meaning and potential.  It tells us a great deal about its owner or creator.  It contains keys to the deepest desires and unfulfilled wishes of the creator.  Therefore, if clutter has character, what does your clutter say about you?

Does your clutter contain articles about exotic destinations you have yet to reach?  Are there articles on topics you long to explore, hobbies you wish to undertake, careers you would like – someday – to pursue?  Does your clutter indicate your mutli-faceted interests and enhance your depth of character by its sheer volume and diversity?

Perhaps this explains why we are so attached to our clutter.  Why it’s so hard to throw out that which we have painstakingly accumulated.  And, if we let go of it, do we shrink in stature in our own eyes if not in the eyes of those we know and love?

The answer is NO!  Yes, clutter may contain a peak into our emotional closets, but it also distracts us from the fulfillment of Today.  It nags at us for not resolving it.  It reproaches us for not finding the time to deal with it.  It robs us of those rare undesignated moments during which we might simply “be”, relax, or daydream.

Career counselor and life coach, Barbara Sher, says it creates competition with our dreams.  Further, she claims it indicates an avoidance of things we would commit to – if only we had the free time.  More accurately, it creates stress which robs us of our dreams.  If we are too distracted by our piles of information to let our minds wander freely and unfettered, then that alone should be motivation to clean up our clutter.

So resolve today, to schedule a clutter-cleanse for yourself.  Perhaps the following simple steps will make it easier to tackle:

1. Schedule an appointment with yourself; no longer than three (3) hours to clear one small area of its clutter.
2. Make it enjoyable; play your favorite music or invite a friend to join you.
3. Begin the project well-rested and alert.  You’re going to need the energy!
4. Commit to being judicious about your clutter.  Commit to being honest with yourself about the reality of acting upon the contents of your clutter. 
5. Label four medium-size boxes into which you will sort your clutter:
   Trash;  Fill this one – the freedom you will feel will far outweigh the angst.
   Route;  Items to forward to someone else – family, donation center, friend.
   Action needed;   Keep a pile of Post-It notes handy for designating action
   needed; i.e. To File, To Read, To Order, To Attend, To Phone, etc. (NOTE:  A second stage of sorting will be needed for your Action box.  If
   something in your clutter is worth exploring, you will set a deadline for when the
   action needed will be taken.)
   Priority;  Things you must do NOW or the consequences will be negative.

Commit only to sort in this first session.  And schedule some type of reward for yourself upon completion; a manicure, massage, hot bath, time with a good book, or dinner with your family or a friend.  The reward will give you something to look forward to and will keep you motivated when your interest begins to flag.

Schedule a second session to conduct a finer sort on your Action box.  And, finally, commit to not letting any additional clutter accumulate until the current collection is cleared.  Hopefully, you’ll feel inspired enough to not let it accumulate, but rather to sit and daydream instead.