by Haven Logan PH.D

        
Usually I have a long list of New Years Resolutions. This year I’ve made only one ─ to deal with clutter, defined by the dictionary as “a disorderly heap.”
It is some consolation to learn that I am not alone in this battle to stem the tide of rising clutter. Visiting the Internet I found hundreds of websites offering advice on how to declutter. There are numerous blogs and support groups such as Declutterers Anonymous. On television you can tune into the reality show “How Clean is Your House?” When I tell friends what I’m writing about, they reply, “Send me the column right away!”

Clutter and Weight

While I am a novice at decluttering, I have studied weight management for many years and am amazed to discover these parallels:

1) Clutter and pounds usually come on slowly when we’re not paying attention.
2) Holidays and upsetting life events often lead to a rapid ballooning.
3) We’d like to find a magic cure for both weight gain and clutter and then never have to worry about either again.
4) Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Both solutions are found in slow and steady progress.
5) Prevention of returning to where we started requires developing new habits and always watching what we take in.
6) Both weight and clutter are life-long issues for most of us. The rewards, however, for maintaining a healthy weight and a decluttered life are less stress, improved self-esteem, and greater freedom.

Your Clutter Personality

Before deciding how best to deal with the clutter in your life it’s a good idea to look at why you accumulate stuff. Certainly a lot has to do with our consumer society which constantly encourages us to buy the latest, greatest products rather than repairing and appreciating what we already have. Cynthia Townley Ewer at the website www.organizedhome.com has identified five clutter personalities. See if you identify with one or more of these personalities:

The Hoarder is someone who fears that they won’t have the resources they need in the future so they keep everything from string to old jars saying, “This might come in handy some day.”
Solution: Assure yourself that you will always be able to get what you really need. Brain storm how you can get resources without needing to store all of them in your house.

The Deferrer says, “I’ll think about that tomorrow,” as they procrastinate about everything from paying bills to doing the dishes to sorting through junk mail.
Solution: Take action. Getting started is the hard part. Say that you’ll work for five minutes. Once you’re going, momentum will take over.

The Rebel is that child inside who says, “I don’t want to, and you can’t make me!” Solution: Remind yourself that you aren’t living with your parents. You are the adult now and choosing to keep your house clutter free will make for a much nicer life.

The Perfectionist says, “I’ll wait until next week when I’ll have time to organize everything perfectly.” Perfectionists don’t want to even start if they can’t create the perfect organizing system.
Solution: Break down the job into doable pieces and give yourself permission to complete just one part. You might set a goal to take everything out of the cupboard and clean the shelves one day. Another day your goal would be to sort the contents and a third day you might put things where they belong.

The Sentimentalist just can’t bear to let go of anything because it reminds them of some cherished person or event. The problem is that so much gets accumulated that you never get to enjoy any of it. .
Solution: Most of us have sentimental clutter. We need to organize it into a manageable amount. Decide what it is important to keep and how much. You might want to scrapbook or scan your favorite photos and mementos.

General Tips for Decluttering

1. Begin by walking through your house and garage, making a list of all the areas you have for storage.  Then create a second list of what you have that needs to be stored. Select a storage place for each type of item. You might want to create a plan for the order in which you are going to declutter areas.

 

2. Set declutter goals for yourself that will work with your schedule, life situation and your clutter personality. Above all resist the temptation to try to do too much at one time. This is exhausting work and you will be much more effective if you take care of clutter in small steps. You might have as a goal to declutter for five or ten minutes a day or for an hour each weekend day. Set the timer.
   
   

3. Get your decluttering equipment ready. Have three boxes labeled “Throw Away,” “Give Away,” and “Put Away.” If you want to have a garage sale or sell on Ebay have a fourth box marked “For Sale.” Get the “Throw Away” box to the garbage and the “Give Away” box to your car as soon as possible.

 

4. Declutter one room before starting on the next so you can enjoy being in a space that is clutter free. Start at the corner near the door and work your way around the room taking care of surfaces first. Then go around a second time and open drawers and cupboards.
   
   

5. If you’re having a hard time, ask a friend or family member to come in and help you with decisions or just for company.

 

6. Make a plan for maintaining a clutter free environment. Use the “one in, one out rule.”
   
   

Experiment! Make it a game instead of a war. I welcome new ideas or suggestions from any of my readers. Good luck! Let’s compare notes in a year.