Cut the Clutter
If you feel like your home is bursting at the seams with stuff, you are not alone. The average U.S. household has more than 300,000 items, from ironing boards to paper clips, according to statistics cited by professional organizer Regina Lark. Living within a high stress, consumer-driven culture means people work harder than ever before, have more to show for it but have less time to enjoy it all. Not surprisingly, the second most popular resolution made by Americans at the beginning of a new year is to get organized.
Taking charge of your home and all that rests within its walls ensures that you reclaim your time and energy for the things that matter most in your life. One of the best ways to safeguard healthy priorities is by cutting out the clutter. Here are some tips to ensure that stuff takes its rightful place in your life.
Who Owns Whom? Material goods are, no doubt, a modern day slave master. People buy things they think will save them time, make life easier or more convenient. But the reality is, the more stuff you own, the more time, money and energy you must expend to maintain what you possess. So do you own your stuff, or is your stuff owning you? Responsible families seek to be intentional about what they allow into their homes so that their lifestyle syncs up with their values. Who really wants to do extra chores when they can spend time enjoying their favorite activities?
Organization vs. Decluttering. A.A. Milne so humorously described organization as “what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.” It’s funny because it’s true—but it’s only true if you need what you keep. For that reason, consider home organization a separate entity from decluttering. If you have items in your home that serve a purpose and add beauty to your life, then they’ve proven their worth. Maintaining these items is essential. On the other hand, clutter, according to its definition, is “a disorderly heap or assemblage.” Another popular description? Junk.
Anything within your home that adds stress to your life because it doesn’t have a place or use is clutter. Is there a way to truly organize junk? No. Organizing clutter is simply a temporary solution to a long-term problem. Bigger boxes and more elaborate organizational systems don’t somehow add worth to items that have no place in your day to day life to begin with. As author and blogger Joshua Becker says, “Owning less is far more beneficial than organizing more.”
Sentimental Journey. One of the main reasons so many American parents are inclined to hold onto items is because they have sentimental value. This is particularly true when it comes to children’s artwork and schoolwork. There’s nothing sweeter than a child’s first dabbles with finger paints or his first writing assignment, but it’s only a matter of time before heaping piles of custom art and handwritten notes require some sort of storage solution. What’s a parent to do?
Olathe mom and professional organizer Courtnie Larson recommends establishing a showcase wall within your home for your child’s best accomplishments. Matted frames provide a custom look, or a clothesline provides a rustic and inexpensive fix. Display a handful of your child’s best work for all to see and change out the art by season. Encourage your child to use his artwork as a gift to others, as well. Take artwork lying around the house and repurpose it by making it into homemade cards or gift tags for family and friends, recipients sure to appreciate the thought of a custom-made card.
Lastly, if the thought of tossing away your child’s artwork or school papers is too much, consider going digital. Scan those precious papers onto your computer and save them onto an external hard drive, build a digital scrapbook compiled with your kid’s favorite works throughout the years, or simply take an annual picture of your child alongside all of his schoolwork and art projects from the year to document what he has accomplished.
Legos and Tinkertoys and Barbies, Oh My! Kids’ stuff tends to multiply at a more rapid pace within the home than any other item. From birthdays to Christmas to kids meal treats, the average U.S. child receives an estimated 70 new toys a year. That means, while U.S. children account for only 3.7 percent of the planet’s children, they own more than 47 percent of all the children’s books and toys in the world!
Keep the clutter at bay by processing through your family toy inventory multiple times a year. Donate gently used items to charity and involve your children in the process. This gives toys a second life while providing kids an opportunity to see how they can bless others with what they don’t use. Rotate your current toy collection to keep items more exciting and keep messes to a minimum. Swimming in a sea of stuffed animals? Store favorites inside a zippered bean bag pillowcase, turning what once took up space into a functional kids’ seat. Extra stuffed animals can be donated to fire stations or animal shelters to be used as dog toys.
Writer Lauren Greenlee aspires to live simply and give generously. She and her young family reside in Olathe.