Clutter talk

Last night I had the opportunity to speak to a group at the office of Gigi Causey, a realtor for Cummings & Co. It was a lively and energetic group of people who came to learn about becoming more organized in their homes.

I discussed the basics of organizing – keeping like items together, shredding and recycling paper before it becomes clutter, having things you use all of the time handy and other rules of organizing.

We talked about avoiding impulse purchases, and waiting 48 hours before making that purchase, to help avoid clutter before it has a chance to accumulate. We also discussed how unfinished projects, over two years or more, will never be finished and it’s best to get rid of that project and repurpose the space for something more useful.

I enjoyed hearing from the audience as they explained their problem areas and frustrations in organizing for themselves or others in their family. The responses were very much the norm of what I hear in my daily travels to clients.

One person has a child who doesn’t like to put things away in her room. We discussed how she can put like things together (clothes, toys, nail polish, etc.) and possibly donate some toys.

Another asked about saving clothing for many years. Often people think the clothing will be in style again soon. But is that piece of clothing worth taking up closet space? Is it missing a button? Stained? Take the condition of each item into consideration. If it needs repairs, it might not be worth the trouble.

Someone had a problem parting with books. She loves reading “real” books and is not a fan of their digital counterparts. She has a limited amount of space and has to cull the herd every once in a while to avoid having books all over her house.

A few people were concerned about clutter of family members. A parent, father-in-law or grandmother can injure themselves if there is too much stuff in their home. When the person’s safety is at stake, steps must be taken to protect them.