You know clutter is a bad thing, but did you ever stop to think about all of its negative effects?
Clutter causes you to feel overwhelmed or depressed.
Clutter robs you of your energy.
Clutter steals 50% of your storage space.
Clutter makes life harder. You have to look longer, travel farther and dig deeper to find what you are looking for.
Clutter takes longer to clean.
Clutter costs you money. If you can’t find what you need, you will have to buy a replacement. Or, you may be paying to store your clutter.
Clutter makes it hard to think straight.
Clutter may affect how you feel about yourself. You may be self-conscious or feel guilty about your clutter.
Clutter can affect your relationships. For example, if you feel ashamed of your cluttered house, you may be less likely to invite friends and family for visits.
The above is an excerpt from Jennifer Ford Berry’s book, Organize Now!. This great book, organized by categories, provides a week by week checklist and guide to help you simplify your space AND your life. Each week a series of small goals are set for you and a number of tips are provided to help you reach each week’s goal. If you are struggling knowing where to start and overwhelmed with the magnitude of how much you need to get done, this book will help you focus on just one area of your home (and life) at a time so by the time you are done you are not only unburdened by your clutter but living your life with renewed purpose.
Organize Now! is the prize this month for participating in this month’s round-up.
Micha B says
Heavens Yes!!
I live in a small basement apartment (temporarily) and though I am continually attempting to de-clutter all available storage space is packed to the brim. Since I’ll be moving in a few months I don’t want to invest much money in making my current place doable. I can successfully put everything in “it’s” place, but there’s to much stuff in each place I never know what is there. Hence: can’t find anything, constantly stressed about my home, get annoyed with my daughters toys at random moments, and just plain can’t function at my best. It makes me absolutely crazy.
OldNuffToKnoBtr says
Yes, loss of energy and feeling overwhelmed and depressed. I did do the 50 things out of the house in a month in June. They are in my trunk I still have to take them to Goodwill.
thursday says
All of the above. Yep! I freak out when I look at my desk and the area around it. Awful. Makes it worse knowing that my husband freaks out about MY clutter, too. Also our closet and dresser (we don’t have a working closet, actually, which makes clothing storage seriously an issue). I haven’t been able to think straight for ages. And I haven’t been getting out of the house much to do fun things, because I’m feeling too down about the condition of the house. Ack! Working on it, though…
Jenn @ Beautiful Cal says
Pretty much all of them! I am sooo swamped right now with clutter – mostly outgrown clothing of my daughters that I am working to list on ebay. Overwhelming!! I feel everything you mention in this post!!! AGHHH
(anyone looking for brand name 0-24 month girls – head over to http://www.gymboreegirl.blogspot.com where I am trying to list everything! lol)
Diane says
Oh do they ever! I would say most of them that is why I am working so hard to declutter and organize my house this summer!!
Mary Lynn says
Just got up and as I dressed I looked at my vanity and then my computer area, on to the dresser and chest and a chair in the room- just one room and I realized that clutter has become the rule in my house! How did that happen? A cluttered house, a cluttered mind, a cluttered life. I can’t find stuff I need, it is overwhelming to even start or finish a project because I know I will have to move stuff just to begin or I will have to search for the stuff I need. I have already started with my room, but it needs to become a priority because I am not happy in my house.
Patricia says
oh yes! It cost me money just this month when I bought my nephew’s birthday and Christmas presents. Last weekend I found ones I was saving for him burried in the garage. But I keep trying. Hair and make-up is one area where I rule, not the clutter, so I will look for this one at the library. =)
(All my make-up is on one little bag. The girls’ hair pieces are in a small caboodle. And there is only one thing of hair spray and one styling product that are only used for dance recitals and Christmas/Easter. There isn’t enough to round-up. lol!)
Jena OrganizingMommy says
Good thoughts. I could have written that list, but I’m glad someone did.
Hope Cantrall says
Yes, yes, yes! I hate clutter & I cannot concentrate at all if there is clutter everywhere! It drives me insane! Since I started decluttering, I noticed it doesn’t take nearly as long to clean since there is nothing to move out of the way or sort through in order to get to the actual cleaning!
Kimberly says
Check, chech, chech….they all seem to fit. I always start each week with goals and get behind by Tuesday and just give up. Although I do blame a lot of our clutter on our girls who don’t want to throw away anything. Oh well, one day.
meme says
yes- I have dug my way out in the last few years and all those things did happen to me- now I am finally getting my house and life in order–
less is more and organizing is easier –
you will be so much free-er _
I am not done but I am at least 70 percent clutter free-
Rana says
My dresser right now is full of books and papers. They land there instead of in their rightful homes. Sometimes it’s so hard to just take those extra steps to throw it away or put in on the shelf where it belongs. I’m in the process of a massive clean out of my basement. This is a great pick me up post. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.
Melissa Hauf says
Yes, the worst part is our upstairs, i wish i could show u but it’s quite embarressing, it’s a combo of hubbies and my things growing up we’ve just combined plus all of the things our kids have outgrown (clothes, toys, furniture etc) b/c were not done having kids and don’t want to have to re buy everything so it’s all stored upstairs, i HATE going up there 🙁
Marci@OvercomingBusy says
When an area of my house is cluttered, I can’t think straight! That’s totally me! I get nothing accomplished when the clutter is looming.
NIKKI says
THIS IS SO TRUE. i HAVE A WHOLE ROOM FULL OF JUNK WITH HUNDREDS OF PROJECTS THAT NEED DOING AND i CAN’T START ON AS THE JUNK DEPRESSES ME WHEN i LOOK AT IT.
amy says
i keep buying organizing books the way i buy diet/cookbooks… on the notion that if i buy it..it will happen tee hee.
Becky says
I remember years ago I got a couple books put out by two sisters, up in WA state, I think. They called themselves side tracked home executives. They were great in helping my keep my house decluttered. I’m not as good as I was. I need to keep my clutter minimal, which isn’t. I could probably throw out 75% of the stuff that’s laying around and not even miss it!!! What a thought!!
Kim says
Actually, I’m drowning in clutter. I’m going to check out this book because not only is my house cluttered, but my mind feels cluttered too. I need some direction and hopefully this book and your site (which I just found) will help me. I feel all of those things and more!
Tina says
My mother in law is a hoarder. She pays for 2 storage spaces, there are pathways to walk thru her house. Her basement is totally full, her 2 very large bedrooms upstairs are full, her garge is full-there are boxes and piles everywhere! The reason I am talking about her house and not mine is this: she has 5 children, 3 live out of state, my husband and one daughter live here. When the others come into town, they have to stay at a hotel since there is no room for them and definately not their children. No sleepovers at grandmas. Everyone must meet at the hotel or at my house to visit. I alos have EVERY holiday here. Which means I usually pay for all of the food/drink. Also, ‘this stuff” is all she talks about! She’s going to have a sale and make a fortune and get rid of everything. Oh, the stuff isn’t hers, it’s her husband’s. But every weekend, she is out at another art show buying more stuff! It has become her entire existence.
I guess, my point is-her clutter not only affects her, it affects her children, her grandchildren, her in-laws, everyone around her! Maybe she is an extreme example, but it scares me so much, I have started to constantly purge and ask myself if I really need something before I buy it. She is my cautionary tale.
Jenny says
I cannot count the number of times we are late because we can’t find something. I never let anyone past the front room because of the clutter. I am so sick of living in a mess! Now if I can just get my husband to look at this I can get rid of his 2 foot high stack of papers sitting on this desk for 2 years! AAAAAAAAAA!!!
Gina says
I could have written the list. We did not pay for storage but can’t park in the garage. I’d like to say it is shared clutter but my husband’s is at his work and the kids are mostly in their rooms.
I need another book like I need a whole in my head but I truly NEED this book to help dig myself out of where I am.
I didn’t take a before picture of my make-up but I’ve got more to go through!
barb says
I have been decluttering, but I am yearning for the day that I feel I am “done”… when I can look around and not see the next thing to tackle.
carrie says
where do i start, I am the junk owner… i keep so much stuff. always thinking you never know if you’ll need it! it might fit again! some one else may need it some day! I have an absolute problem with parting with things. I NEED THIS BOOK. I have bought others but then when started to go thu stuff found unreasonable reasons to keep them!!
Mandy says
That is SO where I am right now! My SIL just pointed me to your site because I am in the midst of a MAJOR house decluttering project! This book would really help me along! 🙂
sunny says
I have too much clutter – but it’s contained in the bathroom’s linen closet and my walk in closet. I’m better at giving things away and throwing things away. What it took was being at a thrift store across the street from my apartment – and seeing a girl my size looking for clothes. My mind flashed to the pile of clothes in my closet, and I realized, “Why hold onto things that could bless someone else??” and I got rid of a ton of clothes and accessories – happy to let someone else have them instead of the items going unused in my place.
I have a hard time with bins of just “stuff” – items with no home, and I can’t think of where to put them, so they get lumped in with “stuff”.