Why Is There So Much Clutter?

If you're like most homeowners, you have clutter hiding away in your home's basement, attic, and closets. But why does clutter exist at all? Why can’t you keep your home tidy and clutter-free? This article explains the six reasons you’re unable to toss your clutter.

Early humans had it easy; all it took to clean out a cave was a simple sweep of a makeshift broom. Their lack of possessions made life simple and uncomplicated. Modern technology and a "must-have-it-now' social mentality have done away with easy living. Today, most homes are
being overrun with possessions. Cleaning is no longer a five-minute affair; sweeping and dusting around the clutter adds hours of cleaning time to a homeowner's schedule.

Life would be so much easier if everyone adopted the ways of early humans. Yet the demand for caves is nil: the demand for large homes with plenty of storage space is through the roof. Why would modern-day humans spend more are the top six reasons clutter is so prevalent - and six solutions to clear the clutter from your own home. Think of your home as a purse; if you keep adding items to it without taking items out, your purse - and your home - will soon bust a seam.

Solution: For every new item you bring into your home, take an old item out. If you scored a new lamp on sale, take an existing lamp out of your living room and donate it to a friend or colleague. Follow this simple rule, and you can indulge in your shopping habit while keeping your home dlutter-free.

Time and Motivation

Problem: With your hectic schedule, you can't find time to clear the clutter from your home. Work and family obligations take up every minute of your day. In your rare downtime, you want to relax and enjoy life - you don't want to take on the stressful task of de-cluttering your home. And you've lived with the piles of magazines and the sprawling collection of cereal boxes for years - what's a few years more?

Solution: Pencil cleaning time into your schedule just as you would an important meeting. Your cleaning time need not be long - you can de-clutter a desk drawer in as little as five minutes. Or if you can manage, take a Saturday off from your busy lifestyle to de-clutter an entire room.
Make it a family affair. Play music, order pizza, and hold a cleaning race to see who can fill the garbage bags the fastest. Unlike washing dishes or sweeping the floors, de-cluttering can be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Just be sure to toss any new clutter before it takes up a permanent
residence in your home.

Memories

Problem: You have formed a personal attachment with every piece of clutter in your home. You can't bear to part with the ticket stub from your favorite movie or the postcard you picked up on vacation. These items bring you happiness - you can't part with these reminders of the best moments of your life.

Solution: Recognize that the items themselves do not bring you happiness - your memories bring you happiness. Take that ticket stub and postcard, and sit down with a journal and write about the memories themselves. Put all of your positive emotions on paper, then toss the clutter. The next time you feel nostalgic, you can open the journal and read all about our favorite vacation - no digging through clutter required.

Waste Not, Want Not

Problem: Where others see junk, you see undiscovered treasure. The broken picture frame is a tray waiting to happen. The piles of magazines can be read now and reread years from now. And the twist ties from bread bags have hundreds of uses. You can find alternate uses for almost any object in your home. But your enthusiasm for reusing household items has turned your home into a workshop.

These useful items soon overwhelm your closets, tables, and living space.

Solution: Box up all of your clutter and store it in your basement or attic for one year. Only open the boxes if you urgently need an item inside. Chances are, you'll forget all about the boxes and their contents by the sixth month. If you didn't open the boxes by the end of the year, donate the contents to charity. You don't really need your collection of twist ties if you lived without them for a year.

Perfectionism

Problem: You are a perfectionist. You like your books your magazines neatly fanned out across the coffee table. But when you're staring at your disordered home, the task of de-cluttering seems too enormous to tackle. You would need an entire week to get your home back to pristine condition.