National Clutter Awareness Week: When Clutter Comes Back

Did you know? This week is National Clutter Awareness Week.  Many of us are already aware of clutter!  I’ve been talking to folks lately about what happens when clutter comes back.

You know how it is… We do the hard work.  We set aside time, we sort all our stuff, and get rid of some.  And that feels GREAT!  We look around and see clear and calm spaces.  We breathe a sigh of relief and contentment.  And then we put away our good stuff, pat ourselves on the back, and happily bump along for a while.

But then one day, days or weeks or months later,  we look around, and some of the clutter has crept back.   One of my clients whispered on the phone to me “It’s multiplying while I’m gone!”.

Clutter comes back because:

  • We use things up or items wear out, and then we buy more things;
  • We just need to put stuff away;
  • As we age and evolve, our priorities, interests and hobbies change;
  • Our children grow up and their toys and interested change, too;
  • Our families grow and shrink, people move in and move out;
  • Sometimes, we move to a new home;
  • We make big changes to our current home (Chatting with a friend / client recently, she mentioned that the basement that we organized has relapsed into disorganization after a big furnace replacement); Or
  • Our situation or health changes – Perhaps maintenance used to be easy, but then you battled an illness or a physical challenge, and now your capacity or energy for organizing are diminished.

Clutter comes back.   Sometimes, I feel like Mr. Incredible when he said, “No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know?! For a little bit. I feel like the maid: “I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for, for 10 minutes?! Please?!”

Sure, we can choose to get cranky and resentful about maintenance.  Better yet, though, we can recognize and embrace the fact that maintaining our organizing is inevitable and necessary, and get on with it.

How to?

  • Never assume clutter and disorganization are gone forever.   You will have to tweak or update your organizing once in a while.  Simple things like doing laundry and putting it away, cleaning the house, buying and using groceries – all count as maintenance.
  • Pay attention to the times when clutter seems to creep back in.
    • I notice clutter around transition times – daily transitions like leaving for work or coming home; or life transitions like trips and travel and moves and projects.
    • Once you notice your habits, think about how you can ease those transition times.
      • For example, I have daily habits around hanging up my coat and bag every time I come home, or leaving my shoes the same place all the time.
      • For bigger transitions, I have a habit around unpacking immediately and putting things away, so I don’t have to face the clutter later.
  • Be nice to you, when the clutter comes back.  Cut yourself some slack, acknowledge that maintenance is inevitable and necessary, and then get to work.
  • Perhaps we  just need to put things back, and resume the organizational system we had in place before.  Make time daily or weekly for restoring order.
  • Is it time to rethink our system?  When we re-did our kitchen last summer, we had a chance to re-think some of our systems.  Most of our kitchen items when back similarly to the old kitchen.  But we had enough new drawers and bigger cabinets, so we used the opportunity to make positive change.
  • Easiest suggestion?  Maintain your systems once they’re in place.  Put stuff away, don’t buy what you don’t need, spend time daily or weekly to take care of routine tasks, process paperwork, clear clutter and keep healthy habits!  Then if the clutter creeps back in, you’ll be ready to tackle it!

This Clutter Awareness Week, accept that a little maintenance effort will go a long way, and get to it!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
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