Category: clutter

Here’s is the link if you would like to listen: https://anchor.fm/alexandra-mars1/episodes/The-War-on-Clutter-e1aed8g

Have you ever wondered why some people are born with organizational skills and others have to learn those same skills? Or have you wondered why people allow clutter to build? I have been thinking about those questions lately, dealing with my war on clutter.

There are people born with minds that can easily organize items and if they grew up in a family with an organizational plan, and learned it. Organizing items becomes easy and painless for those individuals, maintaining a clean home and clutter-free is very easy for them.

Then are people like me who battle with clutter, and the war does not end. Ugh! Why do I struggle with clutter building in my home? Lately, I have been asking myself that question a lot. And I have come up with some answers to that question.

When a person gets used to clutter, it becomes normal. Until an unexpected visitor stops by, reminding that person having a cluttered home is unhealthy.

Yes, I said it, having clutter around you all the time is unhealthy. It can affect your mood, your health, and your mental state. Clutter can cause you to fall or hurt yourself. The main reason, why I keep fighting against the war on clutter is because I want my home to be safe and productive for me. I don’t want to worry about an unexpected visitor coming to my door.

People who can spot clutter in their homes need to understand people who live with clutter have a difficult time spotting it. When we do, dealing with clutter is so overwhelming that we don’t know where to begin. We walk away. Ugh! Our homes are a huge mess!

I don’t know how many times that I have walked away from clutter! Because I was frustrated and angry at myself, for letting it get out of control in the first place. I did not have the skills to deal with clutter or the understanding, that when you spot a small clutter pile starting, that’s when you nip it in the butt!

I never understood when I was staying in a place that was well organized and I had no trouble following the system. I could keep my space clean and tidy without any issues. Once I return home, my old habits arose again, and soon my place was out of control. It never dawned on me that the reason why I would return to my old habits; that I never had an organization plan that fitted my needs for my home.

People who are born organizers understand the need to have a organization plan within their homes to keep their homes clutter-free. This is what I desperately need for my home, but my problem is I don’t know how to develop a plan.

After watching my hand therapist and her team in their workspace, I am very impressed with how they keep their work area clutter-free and very tidy. I noticed they always get the items from the cabinets and when they are done. They put those items in their designated space to be used by the team member.

I explain to my hand therapist that I was impressed with how well organized they were and how clean the work area was. So, my therapist explained when she started working there that the place was a huge mess and unorganized. That it took her and the other therapist almost ten months to get it organized. I found that statement enlightening because I was always under the impression that people who had those organizational skills could get things done very quickly. I never thought that they also have their own struggles, when designing an organizational plan. She and her coworker stayed committed to getting their workplace organized, and their dedication shows how clean their work area is.

I understand why I had failed all these years to keep my home organized and clutter-free. I gave up too soon, in my war because I became overwhelmed and frustrated with the process. Organizing isn’t easy, for ones that have organized skills they can see their outcome and stay committed to their task. All I can see is the clutter instead of my goal.

Now, I must be committed to my plan of organization and remember to do what I can by using baby steps. Clutter didn’t happen overnight in my home and getting my home cleaned won’t happen overnight, either. If I stay committed and create a system that works for me, then I will achieve my goal.