What is Clutter?
February 22, 2010 by Nikki
The book I will be talking about this week is called, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston. For the next 3 posts, I will be discussing certain aspects of the book. I will share what is written and then you give some of my own insight.
Clutter. It’s a very common term in the organizing world. We talk about clearing clutter, conquering clutter, cut the clutter and so on. If you have ever studied Feng Shui, you will see the word clutter come up many times. What is clutter? What does this term mean to you?
In the dictionary clutter is defined:
clutter |ˈklətər| noun a collection of things lying about in an untidy mass : the attic is full of clutter.• [in sing. ] an untidy state : the room was in a clutter of smelly untidiness. verb [ trans. ]crowd (something) untidily; fill with clutter : his apartment was cluttered with paintings and antiques | luggage cluttered up the hallway. ORIGIN late Middle English (as a verb): variant of dialect clotter [to clot,] influenced by cluster and clatter .
In Clear Your Clutter, there are four categories of clutter:
1) Things you do not use or love
2) Things that are untidy or disorganized
3) Too many things in too small a place
4) Anything unfinished
I really like how she has defined these categories. They make sense to me. These categories can be a great guide for you when deciding if something should stay or go. Do your things belong in one of these categories?
I am a true believer that for everything there is a place. I believe we should only keep what we love. You can have too many items in a small space, and your home is much easier to organize and stay organized if you have less stuff.
I have said this before and is worth repeating, organization is not about perfection. It looks different for everyone. What I might think is clutter is not for someone else. They love what they have and have a place for it, then it works.
“Clutter” is not a word I use often. I never want to give the impression the items you own are of no value and should be thrown away. Sometimes the word can feel that way. When we are always talking about getting rid of it, clearing it, what have you. If the items are something you love and bring joy into your life then it’s not about getting rid of it, as much as it is finding a home for it that works.
My goal for clients is to help them make tough decisions. To help them build systems to maintain their organization and ultimately live in a happy and peaceful space.
With using these 4 categories, what can you do to “clear your clutter”? Do you relate to one of the 4 categories more than the others? How do you define clutter?
Next Post: How To Let Go!
Happy Organizing!
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