We Wanted Everything, Now What Do We Do With It?

As I write this I’m procrastinating (again) because I need to be cleaning my house.

But being faced with multiple areas of clutter has triggered thoughts that I had to share (plus it’s a great delay tactic). 


“Stuff” has a big impact on how we live – although not all stuff is clutter (though all clutter is stuff).

So for now let’s focus on clutter:

Clutter can be stressful (Trust me. Seriously.)

Clutter wastes time – how often do you lose time looking for something you can’t find, plus there’s more time lost when you’re finally sorting through the clutter.

Clutter hits your wallet – ever have to buy something that you knew you had but couldn’t find? Ever been late with a payment because you couldn’t find the bill? Or maybe you wanted to return something but couldn’t find the receipt?

Sometimes we think that the answer is more space – but clutter tends to expand to fill space (like work tends to expand to fill time).  The flip side of that concept is that we can control or even prevent clutter by setting a space limitation.

For example, if you buy a new book and your bookcase is full then one or more of the old books has to go. The same concept can be applied to many other things, such as clothes that have filled the closet space or overflowing children’s toys.

Do you have a clutter problem or a great way to keep clutter from taking over? Have you ever moved to a larger space due to clutter? Post your comments and let us know.


Next time: Are You Shopping for Happiness?

Photo courtesy of www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=3957&picture=cook-books