Are You at Risk for Clutter Mentality?

Clutter matters, because for most people, outer order contributes to inner calm, and to a feeling of energy, creativity, and productivity. As a friend told me, "I finally cleaned out my fridge, and now I know I can switch careers." I knew exactly what he meant.

If one of these statements sounds like something you’d say, you’ve diagnosed yourself as high-risk for clutter mentality:

1. “This is perfectly useful, I can’t just throw it away.”
It’s good to have useful things, but you don’t use them in massive quantities. How many paper clips does one person need? I have a friend who has an entire drawer filled with the little ketchup packets that come with take-out food. If you can’t bear to throw useful things away, look for ways to give them to people who need them. Perhaps surprisingly, under-buyers sometimes struggle more with this issue than over-buyers, because they can't stand the thought of having to deal with buying something.

2. “One day, this might come in handy.”
True. But there’s a cost to having rubber bands jammed into every drawer. Ask yourself: how much would it cost to buy this item, if I needed it? Do I need to keep more than one of this item? How often do I come across this thing?

3. “I bought this doodad to help me get organized.”
Ironically, I’ve noticed, folks with the worst clutter problems often react to their clutter by buying more stuff: racks, dividers, fancy filing systems. Beware! Don't get organized! You should always attack a clutter problem first by getting rid of stuff rather than by trying to organize stuff.

4. “I might need this.”
True. You might. But have you ever needed it before? If you needed it, could you figure out a way to get it? There's a high cost to keeping things. You have to organize and store them. If you feel that you must keep some things, just in case, store such items so they’re out of the way, rather than keeping them in active closets or drawers.

5. “I don't have time to get organized or throw things away.”
It's true, it's often easier and quicker, in the near term, to hang onto things -- especially papers. But in the end, you save time by making time to clear out clutter. Make it a habit to take the time as you go, or periodically sweep away the excess. Every night, I take five minutes to clear off my desk, and it saves me so much time and annoyance. And every time I use a file, I make myself look for papers to throw away. Try the one-minute rule: if something can be done in less than a minute, do it without delay. This is amazingly effective.

I’ve discovered that clearing clutter is one of the easiest and productive ways to give yourself a quick mood boost. If you can’t face a filing cabinet, tackle your in-box. If you can’t face your in-box, clean out a drawer. Try it.

I write a lot about clearing clutter in The Happiness Project and Happier at Home.