It’s silent. It’s sneaky. It creeps about in corners: clutter. While it’s tempting to launch an all-out battle in the war against clutter, it’s best to know your enemy first. There are as many reasons for household clutter as there are clutterers. Target your household’s clutter problem by going to the root of the problem: your own thinking.
The hoarder:
“This might come in handy someday.”
Know a hoarder by his or her collection ... of the most unlikely objects. Hoarders save everything, and I do
mean everything: plastic shopping bags, newspaper flyers, and worn-out clothing. Hoarder creativity knows no bounds. Ask a hoarder why she’s holding onto three years’ worth of local newspapers, and she’ll describe the papier-mâché angel figure she hopes to craft from them. Problem is, hoarding knows no limit, so our friend can’t see that she has enough materials to create angels for each home in the subdivision ... and then some!
Hoarding is rooted in insecurity, financial or otherwise.
Deep down, hoarders are afraid that they’ll never have the resources they need if they let go of any possession, no matter how worn, useless, or superfluous. If cabinets and closets are crammed with cracked margarine containers, small kitchen appliances that haven’t been used in decades, and old catalogs, there’s likely hoarding behavior underlying the clutter.
Hoarders need to remind themselves that resources will always be available. Where can a hoarder look outside the home for a substitute hoard? Reassure yourself! Stuff will be with us always.
Find magazines indexed at the library, kitchenware marked down at yard sales, and every small appliance known to man can be found (cheap!) at the thrift store. Think of these off-site treasure troves as attenuated household storage areas. Dare to dump it!
The deferrer:
“I’ll think about that tomorrow.”
Those of the deferral mindset are guilty of the great setaside.
Bills, notices, old newspapers, items that need cleaning or repair, and household projects are all set aside to be dealt with another day. The deferrer will leave dinner dishes in the sink, wet laundry in the washer, and dropped fruit underneath the backyard apple tree.
Deferrers need to be reminded that tomorrow has no more time or energy than today—and that deferring decisions drags down each new day with yesterday’s unfinished business. Since this behavior is grounded in procrastination, apply the best remedy: action. For deferrers, simply making a start creates the momentum needed to finish the job. Remember, it’s easier to keep a rolling stone in motion, than it is to pick it up and start it rolling the first time!
How to push the inner deferrer off the dime? Force action with a cut-off date. For example, when you find an unfinished cross-stitch project, circle a date on the calendar, and make a note. If you haven’t finished the project by that date, the item must go—but by making a start on the project, you’re liable to keep going until you finish it. The jump-start of taking action is often enough to spark even the most confirmed deferrer’s battery, so harness this effect to resume momentum on stalled clutter issues.
Enregistrer un commentaire