A Nine-Point Checklist for Identifying Clutter [Cleaning]
Shared by Mystech
Not naming names, but thought this article might be useful. Honestly, none of my friends seem to be candidates for one of those hording shows, but never hurts to nip the warning signs in the bud. 😉
Just because something’s put away nicely, in an out-of-the-way spot, doesn’t mean it’s not taking up space and causing you future harm when it comes time to clean out. That’s one of nine lessons derived from a helpful clutter identification checklist.
Image via Elsie esq..
The list comes from Gretchen Rubin, author of the Happiness Project, and this guest post at the Zen Habits blog, and reads like it comes from the place inside most of us where bad excuses for keeping unnecessary things comes from. Among her nine criteria for identifying clutter:
- Would I replace it if it were broken or lost? If not, I must not really need it.
- Does it seem potentially useful-but never actually gets used? Something like an oversized water-bottle, a corkscrew with an exotic mechanism, or a tiny vase. Or duplicates. How many spare glass jars did I need to keep on hand?
- Was I “saving” it? Leaving bath gel in the tube, or hoarding my favorite stationery in a desk drawer, was as wasteful as never using these things. Spend out!
To defeat my own “But maybe we’ll need an extra three or four USB cables!” tendencies, I’ve previously used the six month “maybe” box. If it sat in the box for six months and I didn’t touch it, it wasn’t meant for this house. How do you overcome your worst impulses to save for saving’s sake?
