I'm stuck in clutter limbo -- are these possessions useful or not?

Every once in a while, I get overwhelmed by a feeling of disorder.

It hit me last night.

I realized what was causing it: too many items of questionable use lying around.

These things aren’t obviously clutter, because MAYBE they're useful. But maybe not.

That phone toy might be broken, or maybe it just needs a new battery. The label-maker might be defective, or maybe I already remembered to replace it. Would this CD work if I wiped it off, or is it permanently scratched? Did I stop reading this novel, fifty pages in, because I didn’t like it or because I just misplaced it? Etc.

I’m gathering up these items. This weekend, I’m going to decide the fate of each thing. Nothing’s more aggravating than being surrounded by stuff in clutter limbo.

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My First Commandment is "Be Gretchen," and to that end, I sometimes like to take tests that analyze certain aspects of personality. If you like doing that sort of thing, check out the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center's Questionnaires.

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Comments

[adora]

I'm rather decisive when it comes to determine fate of my things, but people around me always save my garbage. "Don't throw it away! It's still good!" But I don't use them anymore, that's why they are in limbo. Sometimes I throw them out only to find them hidden under the bed. It's stressful living with hoarders.
Successfully threw out 40 wire hangers today! Yes! :D

[travelinoma]

I find it totally liberating to throw things away. I have an extra big plastic garbage bag in a closet, and if I'm wondering about anything I throw it in the bag instead of the bin. If I suddenly need it, I can retrieve it. After about three months I throw the bag out without looking through it. It is almost as good as a massage at un-cluttering my mind!

[CB]

Wire hangers go back to the dry cleaner (although I no longer have much that needs dry cleaning and would only pay for green cleaning now that it is an option).

I have been undergoing a massive uncluttering campaign. It has been terribly liberating. Today I went to the dump to recycle paper/magazines/boxes. Tomorrow I'm back at Goodwill giving things another life with someone who will care for them. My impetus was the visit of my brother and his family who were moving back to the U.S. after many years abroad. While I was reading about their compacting, I decided to pretend that I was moving, too. I think I have removed about twenty percent of the stuff here. After I get more pruning done, I'm going to go through old correspondence...organize it according to friend/family member by date, read it quickly, and offer it back to them for a record of their thoughts. I have had a very long correspondence with a Swedish friend. Sadly, e-mail ended the more permanent recording of that friendship, which occurred mostly via the pen. We have been able to locate former significant people in our lives via the internet.

[Martin Polley]

I must say I do like your use of "etc." as a complete sentence, Hugh McLeod style (http://gapingvoid.com).

[Emily]

Gretchen, I *love* your site, it has made a difference in my life. Thank you!! Since you like to take tests, I thought you might like a site I found at the end of the page you referenced:

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/

Once you sign up, you can take all kinds of happiness tests, and although there's not much analysis, your results are compared to others taking the tests. Very interesting!

[Linda]

I feel very torn on this issue. On the one hand, clutter is a great cause of stress to me and I want it gone (and I live with a packrat, so this issue comes up frequently). On the other hand, I have very strong feelings about waste and the environment and therefore am quite reluctant to throw things away. (I know that Goodwill throws away a very large percent of donated items, so that isn't a very good option to me. Plus I don't have a car with which to transport my unwanted items to them.)

My solution has been to cut back on bringing new stuff into my house if I can help it, and trying to find responsible ways to dispose of what I don't want. I like Freecycle a lot, and have been quite successful finding other people who are more than willing to come over and pick up my unwanted items.

[Megan]

Going along with adora's comment, I tend to get rid of stuff the minute I realize I'm not using it. However, while the appearance of my home reaps major benefits, I can't tell you how many times I've thought (and I'm the worst when it comes to clothes), "Do I still have that black sweater I used to wear three years ago? I could really go for that today..." Unfortunately, I have a hard & fast rule with clothes that if I haven't worn it in a year, I must donate it. My closet looks pretty barren, there's so little in there!
Sigh...somewhere someone's probably holding onto (and loving) a dozen or more sweaters that on occasion I wish I still had!

[Gretchen Rubin]

Boy, I LOVE the term "Freecycle," I've never heard that before. One of the very best ways to combat clutter is to figure out good places to send your stuff when it's not working -- a family with kids younger than your own, Housing Works for used books, etc.

The "virtual move" is a very effective strategy, too. If you wouldn't move it, why keep it?

And one of the most important clutter tools is DON'T LET IT INTO YOUR HOUSE. Don't buy on impulse, don't accept free stuff, have a place for everything so you don't have to buy a duplicate screwdriver, extension cord, AAA batteries, or whatever. It's good for you and good for the world.

Why is physical clutter so hard on mental serenity? I know some people aren't affected, but I sure am. Clearing clutter is my best emergency pick-me-up. Never fails to give me a lift.

[JoAnna]

check out http://www.freecycle.com

it's like the free pages on CraigsList.

people are just as flaky, tho, so if you can bear to put the item on the curb for a day or so, you won't be wasting time waiting at home for someone to come take away your stuff.

[STL Mom]

I am a terrible hoarder, but am trying to reform. One problem I have is that I want to match every thing up with someone who needs it, instead of tossing it in the garbage or recycling. I no longer live on a street where someone would pick it up on the curb.
I was thrilled when I placed an ad on Craig's list offering 3-5 years worth of decorating magazines, and over a dozen people wanted them. One was in the design business, one was a design student, several were renovating or redecorating a home. Now I need to take some old baby things to a charity that helps new moms, and take my old lighting fixtures and cupboard knobs to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore.
Any suggestions on a charity that would want 2 dozen shoe boxes?

[talia]

I am a hoarder of the most devastating kind. I am currently packing up all of my belongings in the whole world because I am getting married and moving in with my husband. I have found hoards of useless things- books from high school, Uni assignments, scraps from magazines... but do I throw them out? No! Of course not!

I am not quite as bad as my Nana though who has a three bedroom house, with double lockup garage FULL of things. She is the only one who lives there. No one is looking forward to her death. :-(

But my fiance and I are even having to get a bigger place because when I move in there will be no room for me...

[Faith]

If all else fails, put the doubtful items in a MAYBE box and put the box in storage for a month or a year, with a note on your calendar to revisit the items when time's up. It works for me... I find that most of the stuff can be easily parted with after its stay in maybe-land. Yet I have also rediscovered the must-keep aspect of a few items, and then I'm very glad I didn't toss them out in a moment of short-sighted purging.

[Sonia]

Great post, Gretchen...I am a dedicated clutter-buster but is it ever hard with a toddler around! The more I try to get rid of, the more toys & other kid stuff the grandparents & well-meaning friends seem to bring to my house. Throw a husband with a strong hoarding streak into the mix and it's an uphill battle. Oh, and regarding the Freecycle site, it is actually www.freecycle.org. I'm off to post some items there right now!

[andrea from the fishbowl]

I feel your pain. There's a chip on my shoulders right now and it's called CLUTTER.

Before my kids were born I swore I'd be the kind of parent who does the minimalist toy thing. MY kids were going to be happy with blocks, a wooden train set and a handmade doll. So what happened? Why do I keep finding Polly Pocket shoes all over the house? I failed to factor in the grandparents. That's why :)

Last night I announced that we were each going to go around the house (all four of us that is) and collect 10 things for charity. Well, we did it. And boy did it feel good. That chip is a little bit lighter today. I need to do more!

[Julianne]

I'm a big fan of Flylady's 27 Fling Boogie. It's very liberating.