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Our previous blog post was knowing how much would clutter affect your life, how would we know that we have too much clutter. It’s clear that you want to avoid having clutter around if you can help it. Do you wonder whether you have too much clutter? Answer these questions honestly. It may help if you look at things from the perspective of say for example your parents or landlords. They should help you decide if you have become “clutter” blind and need to take action.
- Do I Have Any Clear Counter Space or Table Space? – If you must clear surfaces before you can do anything that adds a lot of extra work to your task. You should have clear surfaces that are designated for doing specific tasks each day. I personally have issues with my dining table because a lot of letters/envelopes end up there, things that will be deem as “settle later” would also be on the table, so when my family needs to eat, there is a lot of clearing to do before we start eating.
- How Long Does It Take to Find Things I Need? – If you spend a lot of time, more than five minutes, searching for items that you need such as your shoes, wallet, keys, hairbrush and so forth you may have too much stuff piled or cluttered together. We can go into detail in another blog but this is really how you want to organise your day before you go out. Me and my husband have a small container for wallets, keys, watches so we can just grab and go out.
- Have I Ever Bought a Replacement Then Found the Item Later? – If you’ve done this, it’s likely due to poor organizational skills and an excess of clutter. This is such a waste of money and can cause a significant amount of anxiety, stress, guilt, and more. Guilty! although not that many times but sometimes when I never get a grocery list written down we would think we need more toilet paper only to go back to find another 30 toilet paper still in the storeroom.
- Do I Know Where Things Should Be? – You’ve heard the phrase, “A place for everything and everything in it’s place.” Everything in your house should have a “home” of it’s own, whether it’s a specific drawer or in a particular room. You should be able to tell someone where most items can be found in your home. If you can’t picture where the item should be, you probably need to make some changes to your setup or methods.
- Does Your Family Know Where Things Should Be Kept? – You’re not the only one who should know where things are. If you have things the entire family uses, everyone should know where those things live. In addition, a firm rule should apply regarding returning items to their proper place immediately after the task or project is finished.
- Do I Own a Storage Unit? – This is not necessarily a sign of clutter on its own; but, combined with other things it can be a huge hint. In addition, how well you’ve organized the storage unit is an important consideration too. Whether this unit is on commercial property or just in your backyard, the same rules apply to clutter and organization, just as within your home. We used to have a storage unit when I shifted to my new place and I could imagine the amount of things I had in my room that I stayed for 30 years, there were so much to clear.
- Do I Have and Use my Garage for My Car? – If you have a garage but you cannot fit your car in there because you keep large tools or out of season items in there, such as lawn and garden tools or the Christmas tree, you may need to reduce your clutter or organize your items differently.
- Do I Feel Embarrassed to Invite Company Over? – If your house is so messy and cluttered that you don’t have company over, due to the vast amount of work needed to get things ready and presentable, you definitely need to make decluttering and organizing plans. However, you need to make both plans part of your daily routine to achieve and maintain your success. Personally, we make the excuse that we have kids so the house is messy but I have seen a lot of homes that have many kids and their house can be neat as well, my neighbour has 3 kids but her house is so much neater then mine.
- Is my Family Embarrassed by the Home? – Has your family expressed feeling embarrassed about their home? Is there an “understanding” among you that guests should be kept away from certain rooms or areas because of the clutter? Does your family play “hide the junk” by hiding things in closets, drawers, or unused rooms rather than putting things in their correct spot on a daily basis? This is a sure sign that the whole family need to make changes, which will probably include mindsets and habits. I had a relative that when we visited for the Chinese New Year that would have things in her bath tub that only when you needed to visit the bathroom could you see the things in the bath tub. I am not too sure how would I feel about that though, you?
- Is My Stuff Stored Carefully, Safely and in a Loving Way? – Many people with clutter will claim that they can’t get rid of the stuff because of its emotional importance. When things are important, you take care of them. The problem is that some people confuse valuing items with avoidance to change, so things are often just stacked together haphazardly, rather than carefully protected and stored. Every thing has their own place to stay and until your stuff starts to be more and more cluttered that it becomes an issue, you might find that it is alright to keep the stuff. Take check of the space you have and of the things that are starting to pile up.
- Do I Feel Uncomfortable in My Home? – When you’re all alone in your home how do you feel about it? Are you able to get comfortable? Do you feel safe, cozy, and comfortable? Do you feel stressed out about all that needs to be done?
These signs of too much clutter may not be cause for concern if you only have one or two of these issues. However, if you have three or more, you probably should do something about confronting the clutter in your home or place of business, as soon as possible. You’ll improve your own life and possibly even people around you, without even realizing it.
If you would like to know how does clutter affects you, you can head back my blog post on “19 ways how clutter affects our lives”. Next post, I would be breaking down decluttering into 10 simple steps. Stay Tune!
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