Decluttering, does it really work and how to achieve it?

Question

Can a person really declutter and remain decluttered or is it some pschological trait that leads to cluttering in the first place, therefore even if decluttered the clutter will return in some form or other if decluttering is not addressed at some other level. I know I am losing 5 points but I cant answer any questions at the moment despite not having answered my quota, whatever that is, and cant get through to any one who will sort that out, so what the heck!

Answer 1

its a llttle of bother, your home really does represent your mind. if you have jumbled thoughts or something is bother some people may show this outwardly bu being packrats. to clean, start with your mind..meditate and then use this simple rule for your belongings. if you go through your things and havent thought about or needed something in 6 mths or if you forgot you had it and havent missed it..toss it. and dont cheat by making up stuff on the spot to do with it.

Answer 2

The secret is not to `throw out` too much at first. I have three sacks
1) Items to keep but in a different place.
2) Items to definitely `throw out`
3) Items that I am unsure about (the maybe bag)
Do one room at a time. Clothes that you haven`t worn for a year, you are unlikely to wear the next year. ( Bag 2)
Once you have sorted the items for bag 2. don`t leave them in another room, you may be tempted to put them back where you got them from. Take them right away to the charity shop/dump etc.
After giving this tit bit of advice, I ought to tell you that I do this routine at least once a year. Which means that either I don`t throw away enough clutter, or (worse) I replace it with more `stuff`.I think being a hoarder probably is genetic, I have always been the same, I hate having to throw things away. I am not in any sense of the word hard up, neither am I mean ( in fact I am exactly the opposite) so why do I hoard so much useless rubbish? I am sorry that this is such a pathetic answer to your question. I started off quite well and then realised that I was saying to you"Do as I say not as I do!"
Oh! Another thing, I have four cars in three of my garages, each time I have bought a new car, I couldn`t bear to get rid of the old one! There is nothing wrong with the cars. I seriously think that there is something wrong with me though!!

Answer 3

My Mum is a hoarder, while both me and my sister won't keep old newspapers, full rubbish bags etc in the house not even for a day. Apparently Mum uses this to tell herself that it's a genetic trait and uses that to justify not doing anything about it since, after all, if it's genetic it's not her fault and if it's not her fault then she isn't responsible for sorting it out *rolls eyes*.

I don't think I have a gene making me obsessed with clutter and I'm in denial. I think it's more like seventeen years living in a pigsty and not being able to invite friends home and being ashamed of my house and family have made me not want to start down that route. If I had the last three Sunday newspapers piled up on my floor for no reason I would panic in case it's the first step towards ending up like her!

If you want to use "it's genetics, I can't help it, if I stop doing this I'll only start doing something else just as bad" as a reason to stay as you are then that's up to you, but personally I don't think it's true.

I used to keep old clothes, shoes and various other things just in case I ever needed them. Perhaps that's a form of cluttering, although personally I put it down to not having a steady income or any savings - looking back I think "better keep this just in case" was a sensible strategy for me at the time! Anyhow. I had to stop when I moved to a really small (9' x 10' - I kid you not) studio flat and had no choice but to live in a constant state of total de-clutter. I didn't pick up any replacement traits, and after moving somewhere bigger (fifteen months later) the clutter never came back. That sounds more like a habit that I broke, than a psychological whatsit.

If you don't really want to change, you won't change. Honestly, ask yourself if you WANT to be decluttered or whether, all things considered, you're happier as you are. Don't automatically assume that just because most people aren't like it then that means most people are living their lives "right" and you're living yours "wrong". You've got to do what's right for you. My Mum still lives in squalour even though it means I've only visited her three times since I left home in 1989 and she has two grandchildren who don't even know where her house is. I guess she weighed up the pros and cons and made her decision.

Answer 4

From one packrat to another....
I have no idea. I have decluttered many many times only to be overtaken by the forces of entropy again and again. It also TAKES ME FOREVER.
I also have observed that one of my children is extremely orderly, one is somewhat, and one (like me) has a million projects going on at one time and is very "clutterlike." All of this suggests genetics.
In the meantime, I think we can redouble our efforts and outsource some of the cleaning, which I am in favor of, or give up.
I am an artist (for real, I sell paintings...) I say this is a struggle I do not expect to overcome until my children are grown. I recently thought about throwing away my laundry- hey, I would rather sell another painting and buy new clothes- It would be less stressful and more productive.

Answer 5

I got rid of 3 old printers only to fill the space with a filing cabinet and picked up a stool too by being cheeky. I think it's genetics. Everything else is these days so there probably is a clutter gene.

Answer 6

I absolutely hate clutter ... i feel a whole lot better after a good clear out but i have to do it when my hubby and kids aren`t in or they would see what i`m throwing out ...and guess what ...they never notice anything missing ... My husband is a hoarder and theres been stuff in cupboards that have never seen the light of day for years .. Next opportunity i`m dumping the lot hehe

Answer 7

One mans clutter is another mans file cabinet thats been indexed cross referenced and colour coded... People organise their own personal mess so they have what they need at hand when they need it. My desk is a tip. I clean it. It ends up a tip again just because I always need the tuff where I leave it.

Declluttering is overrated. Esp if you're a natural a it...

Answer 8

i straighten up, clutter up, straighten up, clutter up...so on and so on...beat myself up telling myself i'm lazy and a pack rat...straighten up, clutter up...i think what's really going on is american society telling me to be "independent", not to engage so much with others, stay inside, your apartment is "lived in", not cluttered...so on and so on...but when i deep think, and combine the societal element into it, i think i suffer from separation anxiety, but it's not to the point of hoarding...that is a serious illness actually, like when people may have 3,000 newspapers and have to make a trail around their home...so to make a long answer short...i've come to the conclusion to be o.k. with the clutter instead of worrying about it all the time and thinking it's a serious mental problem

Answer 9

I have over 500 jigsaw puzzles that I have worked and still want to keep, so I know what a clutter bug is.

Answer 10

we don't clutter! It's a thing that's going to either come in handy later on, or we won't get the value for it if we sell it now. I have cupboards/rooms full of clutt....articles just waiting for the right moment/century/eon