Clear the Clutter

Green Living

Clear the Clutter

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THE CLOTHES stuffed in your closet that no longer fit or are outdated, the catalogs piled on your desk—clutter has a way of creeping into the same are as of our homes over and over again. And trying to clear it often feels like a losing battle. But before you start berating yourself for your lack of housekeeping skills, consider this: Laziness isn't at the root of most clutter issues. "Clutter is stuff we don't need but don't realize we don't need," says Paula Jhung, author of Cleaning and the Meaning of Life. Since possessions are often hardwired with emotional triggers (like the china cabinet you don't like but feel guilty about selling because it belonged to your grandmother), decluttering starts with honest reflection. We've tackled three commonly cluttered spaces—the bedroom closet, home office desk, and junk drawer—and created a plan that will help you banish the mess once and for all.

BEDROOM CLOSET
"If you're like mast people, you never wear half the clothes in your closet," Jhung says. But being honest about why you still have garments that are damaged, out of style, or don't fit isn 't easy. "Objects came to represent identity," says psychologist Randy Frost, Ph.D., coauthor of Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding. That's especially true for possessions that remind you of certain times in your life, both good and bad. For example, are those "thin" clothes inspiration for a healthier lifestyle or do they make you feel guilty about your weight? In addition, we may stock up on shoes and purses because shopping can (at least temporarily) give us a feeling of self-worth. Decluttering your closet isn't just about organizing; it also involves soul-searching to make sure you're keeping items because you want them, not because you're compensating for something else.

Purge Mindfully
1. Set aside clothes and accessories you haven't worn in a year. Send ruined pieces that can't be mended to the rag pile and donate what you definitely don't want.

2. Assess your wardrobe. Get an impartial opinion from a trus ted friend about clothing that still fits but that you can't decide if you should keep. Don't ask someone who will tell you only what you want to hear.

3. Get rid of clothes that don't fit. If losing weight is a goal, Jhung says, and you have clothes that fit a thinner you, keep only those pieces that will inspire you. Donate the ones that will make you feel sad instead of motivated.

4. Box up accessories and clothing you can't decide on. Give them a detailed label such as "Clothes I Might Wear if l Worked in an Office Again." Store them in the attic or basement. If you never open the box in a year, you can get by without them.

5. Re-evaluate hand-medowns and gifts. If you don't genuinely want old gifts or clothes from friends or siblings, give them away. And don't let guilt paralyze you—your home is your sanctuary, and it should be filled with items that you find meaningful.

Create a System
1. Pay attention to aesthetics. If your closet look s neat, you'll want to keep it that way. A tip: Match hangers (use plastic or wood; avoid wire ones, which tangle) and face them in the same direction, says Kathryn Robyn, coauthor of The Emotional House: How Redesigning Your Home Can Change Your Life.

2. Organize your clothes. Sort hanging items in a way that makes sense for you (e.g., color or type of clothing). Place folded garments like jeans and sweaters in transparent drawers so you can see them. (Use a dresser if your closet doesn't have drawers.) Leave enough space in the drawers to easily remove and return items.

3. Make things visible. Place shoes (out of boxes), handbags, and belts on shelves at eye level so they're easy to reach. Put out-of-season items in a transparent box or wire bin and store overhead or out of the closet entirely.

4. Add to your closet carefully. Get rid of items first before you buy anything new.

OFFICE DESK AT HOME
If you're feeling disorganized—lik e you're being pulled in many directions at once—take a look your desk: It probably reflects that. Is it covered in catalogs, letters, and newspapers you've been meaning to read more closely—if you could just find the time? (Perfectionists and people with control issues often feel the need to look at everything.) To streamline this space, you need to create a system that organizes your work. You should also set rules about what belongs on your desk—so it's not a dumping ground for books, CDs, and your children's junk.

Sort Smart
1. Divide papers on your desk into three categories. The first being things that need immediate attention, the second, things you're interested in looking at later, and finally, things you're finished with but need to file. Throw away or recycle everything else (and remember to shred anything with social security numbers, account numbers, or sensitive financial information).

2. Put immediate-action items within arm's reach. Organize them upright (try a letter sorter) instead of laying them flat, since documents get buried once they're stacked. Organizing expert Paula Jhung uses a colorful gift bag for her bills. "It looks nice and reminds me to pay them," she says. Whatever your system, be strict about what's allowed in, and trust yourself: You know what's important and what's not.

3. Create a "long-term-temporary" area. This is for things you have to sit with before you know what to do with them, says clutter clearer Kathryn Robyn. Hanging file sorters are ideal for papers; magazine caddies work well for catalogs and magazines. "Allow yourself a holding area," Jhung says, with the following caveat: Once it's full, you have to go through it.

Keep It Clear
1. Invest in a sturdy, attractive filing cabinet. Choose one with drawers that close so the room looks less cluttered. And set up hanging files with honest labels like "Places I'd Like to Visit" or "Furniture I Li ke." It's OK to keep what inspires you—just sort it and clear it from your desktop.

2. Separate mail immediately. Move bills to the bill place, junk mail and catalogs you don't want into the recycling bin, and undecided items to your long-term-temporary stack.

3. Keep catalogs for just two weeks. When that's up, recycle them. Or contact the company and ask to be removed from its list—and shop online.

4. Hang wall pocket folders. This helps keep your kids from using your desk, Jhung says.JUNK DRAWER
"Everybody deserves a junk drawer," says home health expert Kathryn Robyn. Having one doesn't mean you're disorganized, but the danger is that it becomes a catchall for everything from important papers (like the deed to your house) to newspaper clippings and broken tools. This usually happens because we feel busy and overwhelmed, and we don't take the time to differentiate between important items and less essential ones. To transform your junk draw er into a functional space, you need to make choices about what goes in this space and what doesn't, says organizer Paula Jhung.

Organize It
1. Find time to organize. Set aside 20 minutes to sort your junk (use an egg timer if you'd like—the ticking can help keep you focused if you're easily distracted).

2. Clear the drawer. Dump the contents out onto a clean surface large enough to see everything.

3. Separate out all bills. "Bills and financial information never belong in a junk drawer," says Robyn. Create a special place for bills, away from the junk drawer.

4. Locate any other important papers. Take out things like warranties, insurance information, and immunization records, and either create file folders for them or place them into clearly labeled storage boxes.

5. Purchase drawer dividers. Or create your own from things like shoebox lids or jewelry boxes. Keep like items together, such as rubber bands, batteries, decks of cards, st ray clothespins, or spare keys.

Maintain It
1. Keep your drawer free of bills.

2. Save "junk" if it makes you happy. "I knew a woman who kept what she called an 'amazing junk box," says psychologist Randy Frost. "It held game pieces and tokens for subways in faraway cities." No matter what you put in your drawer, continue to keep like things together so they're easy to locate later.

3. Take action. If objects languishing in your junk drawer represent things you'd like to try or changes you want to make—such as a newspaper article about a cooking class, a passport application, or a running group newsletter—act on them, advises Frost.

CHRONICALLY DISORGANIZED?
If clutter is interfering with your life (or the life of a loved one), you may need more than bins and sorters. If so, go to nsgcd.org to find a professional organizer.

WHAT'S YOUR TYPE? Your personality affects the kind of stuff you collect. Here's how to come clean if you 're a:

SENTIMENTALIST
It's common to keep heirlooms and gifts (like that lighthouse alarm clock your mother gave you for your birthday six years ago) even if you never use them, because you feel guilty about getting rid of them, says Randy Frost, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Smith College and coauthor of Buried in Treasures. To start purging things with a clear conscience, remember that once you've been given a gift, you own it and can decide what to do with it. Frost recommends picking one item associated with a favorite relative, for example, and parting with the others in increments. First, put them in a box that you place in a storage area—this will help you realize you can live without them. Then donate them to charity so you know they're going to a good home. In time, the one item you decided to keep will come to feel even more special.

PRAGMATIST
Because you hate to be wasteful, you collect things like napkins and disposable chops ticks. And when you're finished with an item, you try to come up with a new use for it (like turning a shoebox into a jewelry holder). You can be lauded for your ecoconsciousness, but you need to set limits based on how much storage space you have and how often you actually use the stuff you collect, says Frost. Your best bet is to change your approach slightly: Instead of hoarding items because you don't want to throw them away, bring fewer of them into your home to begin with. Keep just a few sets of chopsticks, and ask the restaurant not to put any in the bag the next time you order.

WISHFUL THINKER
Remember that treadmill you bought five years ago that's currently gathering dust in your basement? Wishful thinkers surround themselves with objects they hope to use (art supplies, kitchen gadgets, musical instruments) but never do. They see so much potential, they don't consider whether they actually have the time to pursue their interests, says Frost. For a more re alistic approach, bring your schedule with you when you shop, and When something catches your eye, ask yourself, "Do I have the time for this?" And get rid of anything you haven't used in a year or longer.

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