That’s the first step in getting rid of clutter, but it’s one that seems very difficult for many people.
It’s basic, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The first step is often the hardest, because sometimes things seem hopeless. You feel like you’ll never be able to clean up your clutter, that there’s just no point because it’ll just get messy again later.

Just focus on picking up one item and putting it away, instead of trying to do everything at once. Focus on a small thing that you can do right now, instead of trying to tackle the big picture. Starting small means making progress instead of being frozen by fear or doubt.
Go for it!

The next few posts here on Clutter Cubed will be guest posts and filler, since I’m going to be incredibly busy running Con-G (that’s also why this post is late, sorry folks!). Thanks to those who sent in guest posts! I’m still looking for one more if anyone is interested in writing a guest post to appear on Clutter Cubed.

Photo by RedStamp.com

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Start to Declutter Today

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!

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Putting Things Away

Photo by me (Caitlin)!

1. Money
   This one is the most obvious. I’ve already talked about how clutter can cost you money when you have to buy a duplicate of an item that you have lost in your clutter. You can also lose bills, cheques, or even overdue library books in your disarray, which can cost you in late fees, higher interest rates, or simply in lost potential money.




2. Time
   It is very easy to waste time sifting through piles of paper or mounds of clothes searching for something specific. Worse, it’s easy to waste time and money at the same time while you run out to the store to purchase something you already own but cannot find. Clutter robs you of time that should be spent on more enjoyable or more essential tasks.




3. Friends/Social
   If you’re stuck at home trying to find “something” in all your clutter, or worse, feel too depressed about it to go out at all, you will be missing out on socializing with your good friends. On the flip side, if you go out anyway and end up feeling guilty about your mess, your mood could put a damper on the fun with your friends.




4. Self-esteem
   This is still a big one for me. While I’m making progress in my fight against clutter, I still feel guilty sometimes for not being “better”. It can be a devastating hit to your self-esteem if you feel ashamed enough of your clutter that you feel you can’t invite friends or relatives over.




5. Space
   Another obvious one, but sometimes we don’t realize just how much space clutter can take up all by itself. When you start clearing it out, more often than not you’ll find more clutter than you thought you had.




6. Respect
   First impressions matter, even if we wish they didn’t. Having excessive clutter in your home (or on your desk at work) can give others the impression that you are dirty, or that you don’t care enough about yourself to clean up your home environment. This can lower their opinion of you.




7. Job opportunities
   Many families have been hit by the recession, and most job postings are getting way more applicants than they need. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because it took you 3 days to find your good résumé paper and a stamp, and then lost the employer’s address in the pile on your desk.




8. Energy
   While searching through and cleaning up clutter rob you of your energy directly, clutter can also prevent you from getting more energy. If you bedroom is cluttered, you may not be getting the restful sleep you need to recharge. A great way of having more energy in your life is to exercise, but you have to actually do it. If you end up not going to the gym (or even for a jog around the block) because of the hassle of finding your running shoes, grabbing your shirt from the pile of unfolded laundry, and looking for your iPod headphones (only to find them squashed and broken under some library books), you’ll never get to enjoy the benefits of exercise.




9. Well-being
   If you’ve ever experienced any of the above, you’ll know how it can definitely affect your overall well-being! Getting depressed and/or angry at yourself can definitely impact your quality and enjoyment of life.

How does clutter cost you? Can you think of a tenth way that clutter is robbing from you, literally or figuratively? Please share it in the comments!

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9 Ways Clutter Costs You

In order to prevent this post from being just fangirl squeeing, here are some ways that the lessons on the show can be applied to getting rid of real-life clutter problems.

Don’t leave important papers scattered around your house
On House, this could get you in trouble when the team searches your place, or perhaps just tell them that their current diagnosis is the wrong one. In the real world, it just costs you time an energy to find specific documents. A good filing system can help you be better prepared when unexpected events (good or bad) come along.

Ask for help when you need it
Dr. House employs a number of people to help him come up with the right diagnosis. If he could work entirely alone, I’m sure he world, but even he needs people to help him in order to be at his best. In one episode he even recruits the janitor to act as a sounding board so he can get to the correct diagnosis. Getting others to help you is not weakness, but can actually give you the strength you need to succeed.

Everybody lies
It’s one of Dr. House’s favourite mantras. On the show, lies can mean anything from intentionally lying to providing incorrect information due to misunderstanding the question, to believing falsehoods as if they were the truth. In real life, your own subconscious may be lying to you (for any of these reasons) about why you hold onto clutter. Perhaps you think you are being prudent and planning ahead for future needs, but all your subconscious wants is a security blanket. Finding the real cause of your problem will go along way to solving it. Or in House terms: treating the disease as a whole is better than treating the symptoms.

Learn from mistakes and move on
Mistakes happen. In almost every episode, the team tries several treatments and diagnoses before getting it right. Sometimes we try and fail, and sometimes we fail by not even trying. Accept that sometimes thing go wrong, but pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes. Holding on to bad feelings about your clutter problem is detrimental, and won’t help you overcome the issue.
As House says:

Everybody does stupid things, it shouldn’t cost them everything they want in life.

Don’t let your clutter hold you back. It’s a brand new year full of possibilities, and you can make great progress in conquering your clutter.

Have you ever received clutter inspiration from a weird source? Tell us about it in the comments!

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Decluttering Lessons from Dr. House M.D.

cybermonday

That super cheap external hard drive and that steal of a magazine subscription are only really great deals if they actually get used. Buying items when they go on sale is a great strategy for your wallet for obvious reasons, and it’s also a great strategy for your War on Clutter if it gives you time to think about your purchase.

Deciding to buy an item, and then waiting until it goes on sale will force you to evaluate how much you really want the item, and give you time to find a place for it in your home. When it goes on sale 2 months later, you may decide you don’t really need one after all.

Cyber Monday (and Black Friday) deals don’t give you that chance, and you may find yourself about to buy something simply because it is on sale, rather than carefully considering the purchase ahead of time and then shopping smart when it is on sale.

Stay smart, dear readers! Keep clutter in mind as the craziness of the Holiday Season ramps in the coming weeks. The less junk you bring in now, the less junk you have to worry about come January.

Photo by geektonic.

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Cyber Monday Clutter