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My solution to clutter
Posted by Seabuckthorn • 3/14/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: clutter, clutter buddy, craigslist, junk, organization
My clutter buddy
Like most North Americans, I have a lot of stuff. Like most North Americans, most of my stuff is precious. However, some is unwanted, some is disorganised, and some comprises unfinished projects that haunt my psyche and stress the Fire Marshall.
For various reasons, I find that the degree of mental discipline required to independently deal with these collections is outside my natural abilities. Without outside help, the steady murmur of my clutter is not sufficient to goad me into action. I’m just that good at ignoring things!!
MORE: www.seabuckthorn.net/index.php/?p=136
User Comments
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Anyone with anything to share about beating clutter?
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Be ruthless with getting rid of stuff. Empty space has value--it's less stressful to look at. -
@Bustclutter: It's so true about order being restful. I love your site BTW.
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great entry
lately I have just been using craigslist to get rid of stuff I don't need, via the free section. Your idea is worth giving a shot, too.-
Well we use CL and Freecycle too!! It's actually really cool, we often write the posts during our work sessions, so they actually get done! We've been very successful at re-gifting our unwanted stuff.
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here is another way to get rid of your clutter you do not need.
Sell your unwanted stuff online for cash. Try it FREE with this offer!
www.tripleclicks.com/10116460/go
I figure its at least free for your fist time why not make money off of your old stuff you do not need that someone mite need. -
I have said many times that the telephone is NOT the most important business tool in an office. It's the 2nd most important instead.
The trash can is the most important business tool in my opinion.-
Wow, the things we learn. I like this idea. I have trash cans, I'll try using them now. -
A friend of mine likes to say "What you say no to is as important as what you say yes to." De-cluttering has had a beneficial effect on my psyche and spirit as well as my environment and productivity.
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keeping hubby around works for me -
purge! I am completely obsessed with cluter, can't stand it! I love watching clean house just so I can see the mess cleaned up! I know a little OCD-
I love those shows too! They're so inspirational. Fortunately my clutter is not near the point as many of the participants, but it still bugs me.
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I use this simple rule. Every time I purchase something or receive a gift, I must in turn rid myself of an older similar item.
I switch over to online or automatic bill payments whenever possible. I keep a recycle box and shredder right next to my desk where I open the mail. I also put important documents that arrive in the mail (insurance policies, bank statements, certifications, etc.) in a lockbox immediately after I open them. I toss out any junk mail and inserts immediately upon receipt and I shred as I go.-
I only wish I was that disciplined.
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Those are really good suggestions. I take care of some stuff right away, but I notice that I am also very guilty of the crime of shifting piles of junk around endlessly rather than dealing with them.
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My practical approach is if there's anything you haven't touched for 3 months, you probably don't need it..Get rid of it! Too much clutter creates negative energy.-
3 months? how about 30 years? But you're totally right, too much clutter creates a LOT of negative energy.
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I agree with you, except when it comes to clothing, which is by and large seasonal. If I haven't worn something in the last year, then when the season it would be worn in comes around again, I donate it to a charity.
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I'm a flea market/garage sale fool and sell antiques during the year to collectors. I also restore furniture for resale. Unfortunately not everything I buy gets resold like that so I end up amassing a lot.
we do a garage sale every summer and a booth at a local antique co-op during their neighborhood weekend. If it's sitting around and not that important, it gets sold. That was I have more room to buy more stuff and keep it around until the next sale -
I do most (big) cleaning seasonally - so every winter, spring, summer and fall I'm going through closets, drawers and collections and preparing a donation run.
If we haven't used it, outgrown it, or otherwise not shown interest in an item - it goes.
No questions or arguments.
My husband is a clutter bug - I love getting rid of everything. We compromise
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@seabuckthorn
This BC member has a blog devoted to de-cluttering your house
www.blogcatalog.com/user/Declutter-
Neat! Thanks for the pimp, I added her. I'm probably going to write a post in the future about online home-making resources, that would definitely be a good one to include.
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Here's another BC member who has a blog called Cheap Tricks and Household Tips that you may be interested in
www.blogcatalog.com/user/sweetviolet
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Re; Craigslist and Freecycle, and other ways of getting rid of stuff: I almost alays prefer giving away rather than selling, because I love just getting stuff out of my hair fast, rather than having to negotiate and wait and describe ad nauseum, but particularly with Freecycle, I sometimes feel a little guilty because I'm pretty certain I'm just enabling genuine packrats who'd walk across the bottom of the ocean to rescue a piece of junk from an ignominious end in the landfill.
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Freecycling is the way to go.
You have no idea why people are looking for the things they are looking for - but by freecycling it you are keeping your stuff from sitting in a landfill for eons - and making sure it's used by someone who wants it or needs it.
Who cares if they are packrats, anyway? -
@ Anok: Well... it's pretty obvious from the way a lot of people share with me when they come to pick up stuff, as well as the contents of their emails, that they are the kind of people who get ratted out to their municipalities and end up having to have people come and remove like 8 dumpsters worth of old newspapers and cat boxes, and such. I don't necessarily feel good about contributing to that, but ultimately, you're right, I accept people's choices and I am grateful that someone wants my junk.
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Interesting topic - I am a professional organizer in that I declutter and organize homes and offices. If you've seen the tv show "Clean House" - there are people who live like that. Last week I had a job where it took a team of 6 people 5 days and one huge dumpster to make the house a home again.
One issue that is common is owning too much of the same thing. You only need one pair of sneakers, enough dishes to feed the household 3 meals in one day, one winter jacket and one spring/fall jacket, one week's worth of pants, stuff like that. Everything else goes to charity or the trash.
Another issue is mismanagement of mail. We TRY to teach people to sit down with their mail everyday. Discard the fillers and junk immediately. Save only the bill and envelope and put them in a special "bills" place. Bills are accumulated and paid every Saturday morning before any weekend fun begins.
Vast collections of books, music, and movie collections turn into monsterous beings. If you haven't used it in the last year, get rid of it. If you really want to see movie again, Netflix it (if you ever get around to it). If you really want to read a book again, wait until you actually have a weekend set aside to read it, and go buy a new one.
Too many magazines- get one of those magazine boxes/holders and keep only one year's worth in it. Once it's full, toss them all out to make room for the new issues.
I could go on and on and on...-
Wow! I didn't know this about you. Thanks so much for sharing
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Getting rid of stuff - ebay, craigslist, freecycle, donations to charity, donations to schools...
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OR..... wait for it... marry my wife! hah!
She hates clutter, and i love her for it! Our house has never been cleaner.
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As Ms Stephanie Roberts, author of Clutter Free Forever, said, "if difficult feelings comes up as we work through our clutter, acknowledge them. We may discover that we are just aren't ready to confront some tasks or ready to part with some things yet. It is self-defeating to put ourselves all at once through changes that are too large for us today. We have to be gentle with ourselves, take baby steps, and work at our own pace. Letting go of excess makes room for blessings. -
I am working on decluttering. Those old VHS tapes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Ghost and Dirty Dancing were hard to give up but they aren't making VHS any more. Kids clothes that they can't wear and toys go to a second store. We keep a file cabinet for things like income taxes. I keep a blog for my kids school work (still working on this my scanner just died.) Furniture either gets refinished for repurposing or donated. -
I'm big on "clean as you go" and never let things get too cluttered. Not only do I dislike looking at clutter, I dislike cleaning it once it gets out of hand even worse.-
That's funny, because to me, regular cleaning is an agonising chore, whereas letting things get out of hand then tackling it is a fun project!
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Believe it or not, my hubby taught me the "clean as you go" principal regarding my kitchen. While making dinner or whatever, I'd just accumulate everything and then there'd be this overwhelming kaboom waiting for me to clean it up. Now I put things away, into the trash, into the sink, rinse them off and put them into the drainer...as I go. It's really made a positive difference for me.
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@busylizzy: Actually, in the kitchen is the only place where I do clean as I go - I find it makes cooking so much easier, especially when there are multiple cooks. The cleanup being easier isn't such an issue for me.
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