noveldevice (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
noveldevice) wrote2010-12-20 04:26 pm
noveldevice) wrote2010-12-20 04:26 pm
The so-called "Ten Commandments of Clutter": my thoughts.
I found this online today, and read it in slight disbelief. First of all, there are really only about seven actual items here, and there are only a couple that aren't totally stupid.
The Ten Commandments of Clutter
It is apparently from a book by Stephanie Culp called Streamlining Your Life. It's all over the intarwebz0rz, and I actually saw it on Hoarders: one of the subjects had a printout of it buried in the crap in their house.
It seems attractive at first read, but on closer inspection I think it has a lot of problems. Maybe this will work for some people, but I think that some elements of it promote unhealthy attitudes toward the "stuff" that we all acquire, possess, use, store, dispose of.
The text as found in bold, my comments in plain text.
I. STOP PROCRASTINATING
Stop putting off until tomorrow what you can do today, especially when you know you probably won't do it tomorrow anyway. Decide to decide what you are going to do with the next piece of clutter that you pick up.
This is actually a great way to start a list like this, although I think the heavy dose of guilt and shame is less helpful than it might be. Basically, though, it didn't get messy overnight, and it's not going to get unmessy overnight, so you might as well pick something up and either clean it and put it away or throw it in the trash right now.
II. QUIT MAKING EXCUSES
Stop making tiresome excuses for you [sic] clutter. You are only fooling yourself, and the clutter is not going to go away by itself.
See above in re guilt and shame. I think this could have been folded in with number one above very usefully, but maybe she really only had the nine and felt like ten was a better, bigger, rounder, more portentous number.
III. USE IT OR LOSE IT
If you're not using it, lose it. Period.
This is exactly the kind of stupid thing that people who don't read books, use reference materials, or have longstanding hobbies preach. If I were rephrasing this, it would look something like this:
Do you still enjoy and engage in the activity that this item is used for? Is this item still in working condition? If it is a craft supply, is it nearly empty? Have you already replaced it? If it is yarn or fabric, is it something that is easily replaceable? Do you have immediate plans for it? If the answers to these questions indicate that you should get rid of or pass the item on, maybe you should go ahead and do that.
IV. LEARN TO LET IT GO
As lives change, needs change, but somehow clutter accumulates with no regard for our challenged lives.
Clutter that is merely taking up valuable space and giving you nothing in return should be tossed or given away.
This is true, although I would have phrased it differently. Maybe something like this:
Your life isn't made up of your stuff. Stuff is not memories or feelings. If it is in bad condition, unusable, uncleanable, and superfluous, maybe you should let it go.
V. BE A GIVER
Give things away. Don't wait until you die to give away china that you don't ever use now. Every garment you never wear could be worn by a less-fortunate person. Friends, relatives and charities all appreciate a giving person far more than they do a pack rat.
Ahahahah. Hahah. For the most part, people don't want your crap. If it's family heirlooms, people can wait until you move or die, unless you want to pass it on now. Please don't present everything you no longer want to someone in lieu of pitching it. When you do that, you are only making your crap someone else's problem, and they probably have enough problems of their own.
VI. SET LIMITS
Limit the amount of space you allocate to house your clutter. Closets, bookcases, filing cabinets - all should be limited. Just because one space fills up doesn't mean you should find or buy more space. It means it's time to weed out your clutter to reclaim the space you already have.
Again, spoken like someone who doesn't read or use books or have hobbies. If your only hobby is watching tv, sure, this probably works. If not, not. Be sensible about your possessions. When you run out of space, cull.
VII. USE THE IN-AND-OUT INVENTORY RULE
If something new comes in, something old goes out. Apply this rule to everything from toys to clothes to books and magazines. Stick to it, and you'll always be in control of your clutter.
Stupidest rule ever. 'Nuff said. Also could have been combined with item six above.
VIII. LESS IS MORE
The less clutter you have, the more time, money and energy you will have. People will stop nagging you and you'll be under less stress. You will be more productive with a streamlined life.
Magical thinking. This is in no way true, and acting like it is is stupid. You will be more productive, however, if you can find everything you own quickly and don't have to overturn piles to do so. But that's not the same as believing that getting rid of your stuff will magically make your life better.
IX. KEEP EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE
Find a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. (The blender does not belong in the bedroom, and the mail does not belong in the bathroom.)
This I agree with totally.
X. COMPROMISE
Compromise when you organize your clutter. Don't let perfectionism keep you from doing it or allowing someone else to help you. Functioning efficiently is more important than functioning perfectly. Remember: perfect is not the same as excellent, and sometimes good is good enough.
This is very true. Perfectionism, and the corresponding fear of failure, can render you tharn, so don't worry about doing it "right", at first. Just start doing it. You'll figure it out as you go along.
Lists like this want to treat your possessions as though they were a drinking problem, and tell you that what you really really have to do is just stop owning things. However, unlike booze, you cannot live without at least some stuff. You need clothes and furniture and kitchen appliances and stuff to eat off of and with and toiletries and bedding and books to read and DVDs to watch and art supplies etc. Just keep it in check and you'll be fine. The solution is not to stop having stuff--the solution is to have stuff in a functional way. Stuff that makes your life better and easier, not stuff that stops you from having one.
And those are my thoughts on this. :)
The Ten Commandments of Clutter
It is apparently from a book by Stephanie Culp called Streamlining Your Life. It's all over the intarwebz0rz, and I actually saw it on Hoarders: one of the subjects had a printout of it buried in the crap in their house.
It seems attractive at first read, but on closer inspection I think it has a lot of problems. Maybe this will work for some people, but I think that some elements of it promote unhealthy attitudes toward the "stuff" that we all acquire, possess, use, store, dispose of.
The text as found in bold, my comments in plain text.
I. STOP PROCRASTINATING
Stop putting off until tomorrow what you can do today, especially when you know you probably won't do it tomorrow anyway. Decide to decide what you are going to do with the next piece of clutter that you pick up.
This is actually a great way to start a list like this, although I think the heavy dose of guilt and shame is less helpful than it might be. Basically, though, it didn't get messy overnight, and it's not going to get unmessy overnight, so you might as well pick something up and either clean it and put it away or throw it in the trash right now.
II. QUIT MAKING EXCUSES
Stop making tiresome excuses for you [sic] clutter. You are only fooling yourself, and the clutter is not going to go away by itself.
See above in re guilt and shame. I think this could have been folded in with number one above very usefully, but maybe she really only had the nine and felt like ten was a better, bigger, rounder, more portentous number.
III. USE IT OR LOSE IT
If you're not using it, lose it. Period.
This is exactly the kind of stupid thing that people who don't read books, use reference materials, or have longstanding hobbies preach. If I were rephrasing this, it would look something like this:
Do you still enjoy and engage in the activity that this item is used for? Is this item still in working condition? If it is a craft supply, is it nearly empty? Have you already replaced it? If it is yarn or fabric, is it something that is easily replaceable? Do you have immediate plans for it? If the answers to these questions indicate that you should get rid of or pass the item on, maybe you should go ahead and do that.
IV. LEARN TO LET IT GO
As lives change, needs change, but somehow clutter accumulates with no regard for our challenged lives.
Clutter that is merely taking up valuable space and giving you nothing in return should be tossed or given away.
This is true, although I would have phrased it differently. Maybe something like this:
Your life isn't made up of your stuff. Stuff is not memories or feelings. If it is in bad condition, unusable, uncleanable, and superfluous, maybe you should let it go.
V. BE A GIVER
Give things away. Don't wait until you die to give away china that you don't ever use now. Every garment you never wear could be worn by a less-fortunate person. Friends, relatives and charities all appreciate a giving person far more than they do a pack rat.
Ahahahah. Hahah. For the most part, people don't want your crap. If it's family heirlooms, people can wait until you move or die, unless you want to pass it on now. Please don't present everything you no longer want to someone in lieu of pitching it. When you do that, you are only making your crap someone else's problem, and they probably have enough problems of their own.
VI. SET LIMITS
Limit the amount of space you allocate to house your clutter. Closets, bookcases, filing cabinets - all should be limited. Just because one space fills up doesn't mean you should find or buy more space. It means it's time to weed out your clutter to reclaim the space you already have.
Again, spoken like someone who doesn't read or use books or have hobbies. If your only hobby is watching tv, sure, this probably works. If not, not. Be sensible about your possessions. When you run out of space, cull.
VII. USE THE IN-AND-OUT INVENTORY RULE
If something new comes in, something old goes out. Apply this rule to everything from toys to clothes to books and magazines. Stick to it, and you'll always be in control of your clutter.
Stupidest rule ever. 'Nuff said. Also could have been combined with item six above.
VIII. LESS IS MORE
The less clutter you have, the more time, money and energy you will have. People will stop nagging you and you'll be under less stress. You will be more productive with a streamlined life.
Magical thinking. This is in no way true, and acting like it is is stupid. You will be more productive, however, if you can find everything you own quickly and don't have to overturn piles to do so. But that's not the same as believing that getting rid of your stuff will magically make your life better.
IX. KEEP EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE
Find a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. (The blender does not belong in the bedroom, and the mail does not belong in the bathroom.)
This I agree with totally.
X. COMPROMISE
Compromise when you organize your clutter. Don't let perfectionism keep you from doing it or allowing someone else to help you. Functioning efficiently is more important than functioning perfectly. Remember: perfect is not the same as excellent, and sometimes good is good enough.
This is very true. Perfectionism, and the corresponding fear of failure, can render you tharn, so don't worry about doing it "right", at first. Just start doing it. You'll figure it out as you go along.
Lists like this want to treat your possessions as though they were a drinking problem, and tell you that what you really really have to do is just stop owning things. However, unlike booze, you cannot live without at least some stuff. You need clothes and furniture and kitchen appliances and stuff to eat off of and with and toiletries and bedding and books to read and DVDs to watch and art supplies etc. Just keep it in check and you'll be fine. The solution is not to stop having stuff--the solution is to have stuff in a functional way. Stuff that makes your life better and easier, not stuff that stops you from having one.
And those are my thoughts on this. :)
no subject
One reason I spoke up is this comment on my own LJ, which left me a bit sensitive. As I said in this comment, I do like the idea that someone else can get use out of the item. But we are both (1) putting a lot of effort into finding people or institutions who do want the stuff, and (2) definitely NOT using it as an excuse to keep stuff, but in boxes-to-be-gotten-rid-of. And we do recycle battered books no one would want.
The key to me seems to be whether getting rid of something "correctly" is a way of not getting rid of it at all. But even there, it's hard to tell where desire to actually hang on to the recycling ends and a battle between good intentions and limited energy begins. Even the second is a psych issue, but it's a totally different one, more the kind everyone has.
no subject
The odd thing is that when I said "people don't want your crap", I didn't mean thrift stores or charitable institutions, which demonstrably want your crap, or books. Because of everyone wants books! I have my own blind spots. :)
I feel like there's a huge difference between giving used books to people and giving almost anything else to them. But that's probably because I belong to the cult of the book, like every other sensible human. :)
no subject
Ranj's ex-wife "recycled". KC didn't have curbside, so what she actually did was fill parts of her house with recyclables until it was impossible to move, and then drive just enough to the recycling centre until she could get in the door again, and then stop.
no subject
Also, I would definitely exclude things that are new or like new: presents that were well intentioned but not really what you want, for instance. Or untouched skeins of yarn after I got carpal tunnel syndrome and had to give up knitting. Or things that really last without showing wear, like statues or good china, that you're just tired of.
I probably do err on the side of giving Goodwill stuff they'll just throw out, but I know they will also find a lot of it re-sellable. My own date with reality was when I realized that while I could sell some of that on eBay and make the money myself, I wasn't getting around to it, and I should let Goodwill or some other charity do the work & get the money.
But this is not, any of it, per se trash. The info about Ranj's ex-wife is scary.
My personal take on that is that while I prefer to recycle--to do anything to minimize stuff in landfills--I have to be realistic. For instance, when we cleared out Supergee's mother's house, we decided that we had too much to cope with anyway and we would just throw out all plastic, glass, and paper, even returnable bottles or cans.
And now Supergee takes deposit-type bottles and cans to the supermarket that accepts them, but then leaves the plastic sack right in front of the machines. Anyone who wants to can get the money for just the time to feed the items to the machine, and someone always does. And Supergee doesn't get all snarly about the task.
This conversation is making me realize how much I'm not a hoarder, even though some people, including the writer of the list, might think so from our house now.