This is a guest post by Ito and LM of Clutterbrained as part of a post swap. You can see my take on the subject over at their blog later today now! -Caitlin

Hello ClutterCubed readers!

We at Clutterbrained are thrilled to visit and have the opportunity to do a guest post here. We are two friends, Ito and LM, new to the world of organizing, clutterbusting and simplifying and we can use all the help, support and company we can get.
When Caitlin suggested a blog post exchange, we thought we’d love to hear what she has to say about Putting Things Away. Which currently happens to be a great big struggle for us. Here’s what we both have to say. Please come visit us at to see what Caitlin says on this very same topic, and to see what we’re up to!

I really do think that this issue is at the core of my Clutter problems. I was recently reading this great book called It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. I love this book. It often makes me cry because it really gets to the heart of this problem – it’s not so much about organizing systems and how to get your pantry in tip top shape, it’s more about what’s going on underneath. Which is so important to address and understand.
One chapter of the book is about simple household rules to share with one’s family: (at least they SEEM simple, right?)

• If you take it out, put it back.
• If you open it, close it.
• If you throw it down, pick it up.
• If you take it off, hang it up.
• If you use it, clean it up.

These seem like things that SOME people know how to do automatically. They seem so straightforward. But when I read this list, it gave me the saddest, sickest feeling because I had to admit that I follow these principles, oh, maybe ten percent of the time. I don’t put stuff back. I leave my bureau drawers hanging open with socks falling out. I don’t even want to say what is on the floor. And as for the cleaning up part… well…
Clearly I have a LOT of work to do in this area. I am trying to understand why it is so difficult for me and why I seem to have a mental block. It’s sort of like trying to tell someone who eats at McDonalds 5x a day, who doesn’t exercise: “It’s simple to lose weight! Just eat less and exercise more!” It’s NOT that simple. The decades of bad habits are like a strong tide pulling me hard into a sea of clutter! And I have to use every ounce of consciousness to NOT do these things. Just the other day I rushed into the house. I pulled my coat off as I was running and – yes! Dropped it in the middle of my bedroom floor. I embarrassed myself. It only sat there for about five minutes before I picked it up (and hung it on the bedpost, not the closet – baby steps, right??). But the fact that I ever let it even touch the floor just saddens me. I’m going to print out that list of “principles for self-responsibility” and hang it all over the house. I’m going to talk about it with my (not at all with the program) family members and see what they have to say. I’m going to memorize that list and say it like a mantra under my breath. And maybe I can remind myself of what I really need and want to do. (to find out how this is going, come visit our blog Clutterbrained!)


LM says:
The thing is, I used to do it. I did! I used to have time when I came in the door and put things where they belong. My coat in the closet. My bills in the basket. My keys on the hook. I used to not just set things down on the nearest table, or the next nearest table. I don’t know when it shifted.

For the past few years, I walk in my house after a long day, and I’m tired. So I set stuff down. I swear I’ll come back to it, right after I eat something because I’m starving. Then I eat, and I’m tired, and I want to sit down and start getting ready for bed. Then I’ll wake up and have to get started on my day, not cleaning up from the night before.

I’ve been thinking about this and thought of a few things that have contributed to my lack of ‘putting things where they belong.’ First, I have so many projects I’m working on. I’ve also noticed, after having a roommate for a few years and now living again as a single woman, not having a partner makes a difference. I don’t have another pair of hands to share responsibilities of cleaning (scrubbing bathrooms or kitchens) or dishes, laundry. The scrubbing then becomes a priority, rather than cleaning out closets, or taking lots of time to really push through and clean out my files of useless papers from my MA thesis from 7 years ago. Then, those things that have sat for months (and years) are compounded when I drop the bills off on the floor next to the work desk, or take off my clothes and pile them on the chair in my bedroom because I’m in a hurry to change and be off to my next meeting.

It’s clear I need to do one big cleaning, while I’m doing the big declutter this year. It is my hope Ito and I can work together to support changing our patterns this year, one ‘pick up’ at a time. I’m gonna start with one thing a day. One thing, I can do it. I hung my keys up. Does that count?

Do you have any more tips for changing habits and remembering to put things away after each use? Please help us out by posting a comment!

You may also enjoy these posts:

• Start to Declutter Today
• Bloggers to Watch in 2010
• Clutter Never Ends
• Making Progress!