Choose one special task to do each day. Or, set a timer and work on one area of your home that needs cleaned or decluttered. Don't worry about perfection, just do something!
The 50% rule for clutter is a straightforward yet powerful principle: reduce the number of items in any given space by half.
While some chalk it up to laziness, there's actually underlying psychology of clutter and disorganization that keeps people from tidying up. Potential reasons people hold onto clutter include: They feel overwhelmed: It's often a huge job to get rid of things, which can be physically and mentally exhausting.
And during our last book tour, we made sure we didn't pack anything just in case. Then we tested our hypothesis: the 20/20 Rule. Anything we get rid of that we truly need, we can replace for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes from our current location.
Behavioral/psychological: Clutter caused by depression, attention deficit disorder, low self-esteem or lack of personal boundaries. Time/life management: Clutter caused by the need for better planning. Of these, the behavioral/psychological-driven clutter is the hardest to solve.
Symptoms of ADHD Clutter Anxiety
This may include cluttered surfaces, piles of paperwork or clothing, and difficulty finding necessary items. People with ADHD clutter anxiety may also experience feelings of overwhelm or anxious when faced with clutter or disorganization.
Messy house syndrome presents in older adults, usually 60 and over. People with messy house syndrome cannot maintain a healthy household. They hoard large amounts of useless objects within their homes. Often, their homes are so cluttered that they are inhabitable and unsafe.
Coined by pro organizer Kayleen Kelly, the “Core 4 Method” breaks the decluttering process into four simple steps: clear out, categorize, cut out, and contain. In essence, it's designed to take the stress and overwhelm out of the organizing process.
This rule suggests that you handle items only once, putting them away immediately rather than setting them down temporarily. By adhering to this principle, you can effectively prevent clutter buildup and save time in the long run.
“The entryway into one's home should be the first space you organize above all others, whether that is a foyer, long hallway, or just an entrance area,” according to Jane Stoller, founder of Organized Jane and author of “Decluttering for Dummies.”
Start small and simplify. Beginning the decluttering process by starting small and focusing on one area at a time can be a highly effective strategy to prevent overwhelm, maintain motivation, and achieve tangible progress in organizing your living space.
Serenity as the Inspiration. Trish Buscemi, a specialist who creates calm interiors for those with cognitive learning challenges, recommends blue, green, and muted brown towns for bedrooms of children with ADHD. These gentle hues actually work well with people of all ages seeking a space that inspires rest and calm.
One of the primary reasons we hold onto clutter is sentimental attachment. Objects can hold memories and emotions, and getting rid of them can feel like we're getting rid of a part of ourselves. Fear is another reason we hold onto clutter, fear of letting go, fear of the unknown, and fear of loss.
Compulsive decluttering is a type of disorder that is classified within a broad name, obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. Compulsive decluttering is the act of throwing items, or clutter, away, or getting rid of them in an attempt to "clean up" what one with the disorder may think is cluttered.
4 Box Method
The 4 container decluttering method is fantastic if you have too much stuff! It's easy to do and makes the process faster. You will have a total of 4 boxes to go through your items: A trash box, a giveaway/sell box, a storage box, and a put-away box. It's a simple way to knock out clutter easily.
Pick an area you'd like to find the motivation to declutter. Grab a sheet of scrap paper and write down everything you want to do to declutter that area. Then, pick one task on the list and break it down. Keep breaking it down until each small task takes less than 15 minutes to complete.
Clutter Control: A Little at a Time
The key is to start small: Tackle one room or even one bookshelf at a time. Cleaning the clutter from drawers? "Don't dump the whole drawer," says Gilberg, "it's too overwhelming." Instead, take out items that can be thrown away, then things you can donate.