Clutter Defined, and 5 Signs of a Clutter Problem

By
How do you know if you should declutter?  What is clutter?


Let's try to figure that out.  Tell me if this sounds like a typical morning in your home.

  • When you wake up, the first thing you see is a messy bedroom, with lots of unfinished projects and items that don't belong in the room.  This immediately sets an unpleasant tone for your day.
  • You get up and can't find a wearable outfit in your closet.  Either nothing goes together, nothing really fits, an item you want is dirty and possibly buried at the bottom of a huge pile of other dirty laundry, a button is missing from your favorite shirt, or you dig through your overburdened closet rail and half the clothes fall to the floor.  In any case, you throw on whatever you can find and feel uncomfortable and unhappy.
  • You go to the kitchen, and one of your kids is frantically looking for her homework, which can't be found.  You're out of milk for breakfast, and all of the bowls seem to be in a dirty pile in the sink.  To top it off, your car keys are missing for the third time this week.  
  • You feel frustrated and angry, and your stress levels are soaring – and it isn't even 8:00 a.m.


We're all different, of course, and a house that looks like squalor and disaster to one person might be identified as "a bit messy" by another.  So deciding whether to simplify and discard is a personal choice.  But there are some indications that the situation is getting out of control.





5 signs of a clutter problem
 

1.  You see A LOT of stuff.

As you look around a room, there's definitely a lot of visual noise.  Things are piled on top of other things, and spread all over the floor.  Merely owning a large number of possessions doesn't indicate a clutter problem –.but it might.


2.  The stuff is out of place.

If you see a plate and fork on your desk or dresser, you know it doesn't belong there.  Dishes and silverware have a very specific home, and it's not on the desk or dresser.  A pile of clothes on the couch or the kitchen counter looks like clutter.  Cases of soda or toilet paper in the entry hall or on top of the washing machine look like clutter.


3.  The stuff is untidy.

A large shelf with dozens of beautifully arranged books doesn't look like clutter.  It looks like a loved and cared-for collection.  However, if the books are stacked haphazardly, piled on top of and behind each other, and covered in dust, then the whole situation starts to look like clutter.


4.  The influx of stuff is greater than the outflow.

This is a common occurrence for many of us.  There are so many occasions for which buying things is expected – holidays, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers, retirement parties, and more.  But we don't have comparable occasions for removing things from our homes.  Maybe during spring cleaning or yard sale season some of us do a partial purge, but it's not a regular routine.  And we almost never think about reducing the inflow.


5.  You justify keeping stuff because it was a gift, or because you don't want to "waste" it.

If you're worried that letting go of something you have no use for makes you wasteful, but you simply store the item and never find a use for it, then you haven't solved your problem.  As decluttering expert Peter Walsh says, "Creating a landfill in your home does not mean you're saving the environment.  You just moved the garbage!"


The same applies to gifts.  If you have no use for something, you should be able to declutter it without guilt.  An item that comes with obligations is not a gift at all – it's a manipulation.  A true gift is freely given as a token of affection.  If the object itself does not enhance your life, you should feel free to remove it, since it has already served its purpose as an expression of love.  But if you struggle with guilt or the feeling that you "betray" someone when you don't keep his gift, you may develop a problem with clutter.






How do you know you should declutter?

  • Your home is packed full of objects that you don't truly need, use, or want, but that you can't seem to get rid of.
  • You feel overwhelmed and out of control with your possessions.
  • Your mind isn't as happy, relaxed, and focused as it could be.
  • You regularly "lose" things and spend time searching for necessities (or you wind up replacing them because they remain buried somewhere).
  • The stuff you own creates tensions in your relationships and interferes with your family's well-being.
  • The stuff you own fills your living space, hallways, spare rooms, attics, basements, sheds, garages, and off-site storage.  In other words, it's squeezing you and everyone else out.
  • You simply don't know where to start making a change.





Here's help.


UNCLUTTERED book
Look for my book, Uncluttered: How Minimalism Can Help You Thrive,* for practical strategies that help you discover and make room for the belongings and activities that really matter to you, while minimizing everything else.


* This is a reader-supported blog.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.


And subscribe to this blog!  I'd love to give you my free printable, Minimalism for Beginners, with 12 First Steps to a Simpler Life.





Updated March 2023

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

45 Useful Tips to Help You Responsibly Declutter Unwanted Items

By
Image
Do you ever drive down the highway or out on a country road and see someone's old couch or mattress?  When driving through the orchards and croplands around my town, I sometimes see stuff like this in an irrigation ditch.  I can't believe people do this, and leave it for the farmers to clean up or pay for disposal. Tossing stuff you no longer need or want into a dumpster isn't minimalism – it's the equivalent of littering , just like the people who throw things out on the side of the road.  It may seem simple, but it's not responsible or good for the environment. Unfortunately, some of what we remove from our homes is garbage , and there's no place for it but the landfill.  But when getting rid of clutter means mindlessly tossing it into the garbage, it becomes too easy to buy more and fill our homes up all over again.   By becoming more accountable, we change our minds about purchasing.  I believe that when you thoughtfully declutter, you'll become very sen
Read more

12 Tips to Try When You're Frustrated with Decluttering

By
Image
I won't sugar-coat it – decluttering is a hard job.  The more you're stressed and challenged by your home – the more you need the benefits that come with decluttering – the bigger the job probably is.  The advantages are real, but so is the frustration.  At times, you may feel tired, sad, or overwhelmed.  Letting go of stuff requires constant decision-making, and sometimes you'll need a break. And you deserve one!  You're not just decluttering, you're in the process of changing your mindset and your habits , and that's hard for anyone.  So when you feel like the job is too big, or that you should have everything under control, remember that no one has it all under control.  We're human, which means that we often have to learn the hard way.  But the victory will be even sweeter because you made it through the highs, the lows, and everything in between. When you feel like giving up, on decluttering or anything else, be gentle with yourself, and say goodbye to
Read more

Why You Should Make "Less is More" Your Mantra for Life

By
Image
Maybe you've heard the saying popularized by architect Mies van der Rohe in 1947:  "Less is more." It's an oxymoron – a phrase that seems to contradict itself.  Others include "old news," "open secret," "unbiased opinion," and "awfully good."  Or the lament, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." What does "less is more" mean?  It's wonderfully open-ended.  Answers to that are as varied as the people who reply.  Consider: Less anxiety, more peace. Less debt, more savings. Less busywork, more substance. Less clutter, more space. Less comparison, more contentment. Less sugar, more vegetables. Voluntary simplicity Back in the 1990s, a fair number of Americans realized that the continual quest for more and better was stressing them out and keeping them from creating lives of purpose.  After the consumerist binge of the yuppie-era 80s, some started wondering if the big house, flashy car, exotic vacation, and Rolex we
Read more

Why You Should Try Wearing the Same Clothes Every Day

By
Image
Wearing the same clothes every day would get boring, wouldn't it? A long time ago, I had a job that required a uniform, and I have to say it did make life easier .  I had three copies of my work outfit, and there was never a question about what to wear.  I never worried whether my clothes were stylish or "right," because everyone else wore the same thing. The same argument has been used in public and private schools in favor of student uniforms.  Rather than constant worries about fashion and comparisons and dress codes, a uniform makes everything simple.  It's one less thing to think about in the complex life of a student. Many people argue that clothes make a statement about who you are.  "I express myself through my clothes" is a comment I've often heard, usually from women.  The idea of a uniform scares them, because how will they make themselves noticeable or unique ? I think we might be imagining some sort of Handmaid's Tale society, where we
Read more

The Hygge Way to Clean and Declutter

By
Image
When I returned home from a weekend trip recently, I immediately unpacked my suitcase, washed a load of dirty clothes, and put everything away.  It made me feel settled and at home.  It was comfortable. A few days later, I felt a bit restless, so I set my writing aside and started cleaning.  I cleaned the refrigerator door and wiped the kitchen counters.  I swept the porch and mopped the floor in our small entry hall.  I decluttered a few old papers from my file box.  It felt good. Self-soothing with home care For me, cleaning, organizing, and decluttering are a form of self-care.  Tidying gives me satisfaction.  It makes me feel that I'm managing my life and ready for what's next. A hygge home isn't dirty.  It's not cluttered with garbage, dirty dishes, or things we never use or put away.  It's not covered in a thick layer of dust.  So don't decide that pouring a glass of wine, lighting a candle, and snuggling under a blanket is hygge, but running the vacuum is
Read more