Where the Clutter Buck Stops

As a child, did stuff leave your space? If so, who made it depart? These may sound like strange questions. But in many a childhood, stuff either didn't leave the home or parents took care of deleting extra stuff. In either case, the child never learned how to facilitate stuff deletion. Once the child becomes an adult, they have no training or practice in the fine art of stuff deletion and as a result, they often suffer from stuff overwhelm. As Sandra Felton states, "The buck stops with each adult to do his own tossing out. That is where the Messie begins to get in trouble. He drags his feet; he procrastinates; he hangs onto things. And you [the spouse, significant other, or any others sharing the space] have to live with the results of his fears." Of course, the same is true if you are the clutterer in question.

So if you are overwhelmed by stuff, the buck stops with you. You can move the stuff out of your space or you can get help with stuff deletion, but the stuff won't leave by itself! Are you ready? To determine your readiness to change the habits that lead to your state of disorder, the free download Readiness of Change from the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. Additional Fact Sheets that might be helpful are Should I Hire a Professional Organizer or work with a Friend? and How Do I Find a Professional Organizer That's Right For Me?

If you are a parent, I urge you to ask yourself the following question: what kind of legacy do I want to leave my children, one filled with clutter or a clutter-less one?

Other tools to support overcoming stuff overwhelm include the audio Stop Letting Stuff Overwhelm You or information on our companion website Stuff-flow.