Perpetual clutter has a beginning, but does it have an end?

[stitchmom]

I could never get past the shoes in the house thing and the million emails EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yes, I know you can turn them off.

I really changed with the book Managers of Their Homes, or MOTH for short.
Hated, HATED, HATED the book A Mothers Rule of Life.
That woman should've just become a nun.

I like MOTH for the write down how many hours part. The scheduling minute to minute part that did not work for me but I still use the calculating the hours part. Fly Lady's declutter tools (27 fling boogie, 15 minutes a day) and her scheduling methods (write down days to do specific tasks) helped me the most. I don't do the emails either but I can see how it's helpful for someone completely overwhelmed or depressed.

[Non Nobis]

Anyone ever try the "Stepping out of Squalor" forum?  http://takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/index.cgi

It's good for sharing ideas and encouragement and keeping track of your progress.  It is worth a look for "messies".

[Quo Vadis]

well i'll be honest - I haven't started yet, except looking at the books.  But I decided to start with my son's bathroom. I can manage that - just a lot of scrubbing.  It will take the place of FlyLady's sink, but I'll do that next.  But remember before you act happy for me - I haven't done anything yet!

[Kaesekopf]

There's a blog on uncluttering.

http://unclutterer.com/

[TerrorDæmonum]

Has anyone known to you ever succeeded in decluttering one's house and life - when that same one cluttered it over a period of say 10 years or more - and then maintained that improvement?  Assume that at the same time, one's paperwork and virtually everything else has gotten into a similar state.  The reason I ask is, if it doesn't seem possible, then that's a factor one might consider in pondering what to do.

Yes, I have.

However, the length of time, due to my age, is not that long, but it is long enough to be established.

The issue is that it is not really a matter of possessions, but of habits.

We do not start out thinking about things, and we develop bad habits.

To break those habits, we have to identify them, and replace them, and that takes work.

The habits themselves are usually very small.

The best example for me is my desk. It used to be cluttered. It used to accumulate stuff. I had to purge it periodically, but the clutter came back.

What was the issue? It was merely small habits which resulted in this, small habits which I did not think about at all.

Yes or no, case histories, ideas, humor, solace, etc., will all be appreciated by one.   Thanks.

I think the best thing would be to identify a single area to fix. It could be a counter or table, as those usually benefit the best from immediate accessibility.

The key is not big changes. It is easy, and common, to have periodic purges of stuff.

Finding and eliminating the bad habits which result in accumulation and disorder are what one should do. Once those habits are identified and replaced, neatness is just as inevitable as the clutter was.

My desk cannot be cluttered unless I am make an effort to overcome the habits I have.

[TerrorDæmonum]

One thing which one should consider is that stuff should have a proper place.

Things which do not have proper places are always going to be clutter.

For any given thing, one could ask:

0. What is this?
1. Does it have a proper place besides here?
2. Why isn't it there?

Then, make it right.

For papers, the proper place is often the garbage, but often, it should be filed. If one does not have a good easy filing system (a single file cabinet/box with alphabetical order only), then clutter is unavoidable.

Things should be close to their place of use if they are used often.

GTD, 5S, and other such systems may be consulted for tips.

A single system is usually not the answer.

[Bonaventure]

I recommend getting a good friend to help. Ask a buddy to help you clean things out. The extra person makes things easier, and will help prevent temptation, provide motivation, etc.

[Quo Vadis]

I have attempted several times to clear my "dining" table.  I pick something up, try to figure out where it goes, look around, I become frustrated, confused and stressed, and eventually give up.

I now realize why it (the clutter) happened.  My whole life has consisted of little more than a series of problems to be solved.  That's all I think about.  So I have planned or started many projects to solve these problems.  (Many of these problems would only be considered problems by people like me, because when I think I can improve on something, it then becomes a "problem to be solved".)  So I have accumulated and saved stuff in these endeavors.  Getting rid of something is like slicing out part of me because I have invested my mental creativity (such as it is) into the problem it is meant to solve.  So now I have a more overwhelming, subsuming problem to be solved.

I really like all that I'm reading here, even the brutal one word answer by tx!  I will read and reread everything as I work it through.  I promise I will integrate all of the thinking that all of you have applied on my behalf.  Thanks!

[TerrorDæmonum]

I have attempted several times to clear my "dining" table.  I pick something up, try to figure out where it goes, look around, I become frustrated, confused and stressed, and eventually give up.

I now realize why it (the clutter) happened.  My whole life has consisted of little more than a series of problems to be solved.  That's all I think about.  So I have planned or started many projects to solve these problems.  (Many of these problems would only be considered problems by people like me, because when I think I can improve on something, it then becomes a "problem to be solved".)  So I have accumulated and saved stuff in these endeavors.  Getting rid of something is like slicing out part of me because I have invested my mental creativity (such as it is) into the problem it is meant to solve.  So now I have a more overwhelming, subsuming problem to be solved.

I really like all that I'm reading here, even the brutal one word answer by tx!  I will read and reread everything as I work it through.  I promise I will integrate all of the thinking that all of you have applied on my behalf.  Thanks!

If you think you may have or are developing a serious problem, you may want to contact professionals to help.

Some advice to help one toss things one does not need:

* It is not a waste of money to throw something out. Money is spent when it is bought, not lost when it is discarded.

* Truly consider how often you use something. Most of the stuff we retain we never use (papers or things).

[stitchmom]

I have attempted several times to clear my "dining" table.  I pick something up, try to figure out where it goes, look around, I become frustrated, confused and stressed, and eventually give up.

I now realize why it (the clutter) happened.  My whole life has consisted of little more than a series of problems to be solved.  That's all I think about.  So I have planned or started many projects to solve these problems.  (Many of these problems would only be considered problems by people like me, because when I think I can improve on something, it then becomes a "problem to be solved".)  So I have accumulated and saved stuff in these endeavors.  Getting rid of something is like slicing out part of me because I have invested my mental creativity (such as it is) into the problem it is meant to solve.  So now I have a more overwhelming, subsuming problem to be solved.

I really like all that I'm reading here, even the brutal one word answer by tx!  I will read and reread everything as I work it through.  I promise I will integrate all of the thinking that all of you have applied on my behalf.  Thanks!

Try to separate what an item represents vs the actual item. Is it still something you want to improve? Maybe you wanted to improve it then, but now you want to improve other things? Or realize you can only so many things this year? You can look at acquiring those items as part of your ambition and creativity that you contribute to the world around you. That doesn't go away when you get rid of an item. If they are  no longer useful to you right now could you allow the item be "rehomed" again? It does feel like a part of us is going too, getting rid of it is the hardest part, but once it's gone you will feel more free.

I would start small, try to find 1 thing to give away and then drop it off at the thrift store.  My suggestion is set a timer for 15 minutes. If you can't find something by that time, try again the next day. Don't spend a long time debating.
Maybe the improvement projects are too much right now. Do you have kitchen stuff you feel OK about giving away? Clothing? Books? Blankets? Bags? Decorations?

You can do it!

[stitchmom]

How is it going everyone?

[Greg]

Insure your house, remove all the personal possessions that are irreplaceable.  Pray for a house fire.

Buy German kit house, which are really excellent.  Purchase carefully.

[Bernadette]

I watch Hoarders, too, to get myself motivated to declutter and organize. I live in a large converted workshop, and all of my storage space is either large, shallow boxes that slide underneath the bottom shelves of the built-in workbenches lining the walls, boxes on the shelves of the workbenches, and piles of things on the actual surfaces of the workbenches. It's definitely an environment that lends itself easily to the appearance of being cluttered, even when I do my best to keep the surfaces cleared.  Add to this my love of working on simultaneous projects, and you get the idea...

[dymphna17]

What do you do when your spouse is a hoarder?  Let them see you toss one little thing and the world explodes.  lol  My Dad was in the nursing home only a day and Mom had the truck backed up to the house.  We never told him.  It creates a very frustrating situation.

[Dom Passerini]

Lol dymphna17.  Subscribing.  Will write tomorrow.