Peace of Mind Organizing

Standards of clutter

21 October 2009

Since I specialize in working with chronically disorganized people, I’ve seen a lot of clutter. I’ve worked in homes so full of stuff they were uninhabitable (literally).

But I’ve also been hired to do consultations for people for whom there was no visible clutter, at least at first glance. Yet those folks made the effort to schedule an appointment and paid me to advise them on how to deal with stuff that was bothering them. To my eye, it was small, easily addressable stuff. But to them it was a problem. (I always have to remind myself never to trivialize someone’s problem.)

It just goes to show you that clutter is in the eye of a beholder. I’m fond of saying that clutter isn’t a problem unless it’s a problem. Some people like having a little clutter around. Personally, I feel a little itchy when I walk into homes where literally everything’s in place. To me, that’s sterile, not comfortable. But if I were someone who desired such a home, then a pile of papers on the desk that won’t go away is clutter. Heck, a single sheet of paper that didn’t have a home would feel like clutter.

If you live alone, then your standard of clutter is your business. If you’re functioning well and the clutter doesn’t bother you, then it’s not a problem. (I define being cluttered as having more stuff than will fit in the storage spaces available.)

When you live with others, particularly with people with differing standards of clutter, it gets difficult. And that’s when compromise has to come into play. Sometimes the solution is to have private spaces within a home that don’t get messed with. So a neat person can have a pristine space without it being cluttered up by the spouse. And a messy person can mess up a room all he or she wants without being nagged about it.

My own standards of clutter are fairly relaxed. Compared to some of my chronically disorganized clients, my home is quite pristine. But I don’t mind if a few things don’t get put away, when it’s just my husband and me at home. When I’m expecting guests, however, I up the ante. Back in August I hosted a social event for members of the St. Louis chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. In anticipating that event, I had a little melt down as I worried how the other organizers might judge me for my less-than-perfect home. (I was being irrational, since of course I know that these great POs are not judgmental…but my being the president of the chapter made me feel like perhaps my standards should be higher.) Right after that event, I blogged about the experience at the fabulous website, Unclutterer.

In your own organizing journey, if you can get your home to the point where your own standard of clutter is met, and then create routines so that you keep your house at that comfortable level, then you’re a success, in my opinion. It doesn’t matter if that standard is different from what your mother (or mother-in-law) might approve of. As long as everyone in your home is comfortable and you’re functioning well, then you’re in good shape. Try not to impose other people’s standards of clutter on your home.

Tagged with: chronic disorganization, clutter, disorder, napo st. louis, order, perfectionism, unclutterer

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