The Clutter Factor: From Packrativity to Productivity

? Are you embarrassed when you walk into your home or office?
? Do you frequently run out of space?
? Is your desk piled high with UPO's (unidentified piled objects)?
? Are you frustrated by the amount of time you spend looking for things?

If so, you're not alone! Research shows the average person spends 150 hours per year looking for misplaced information, while eight out of ten people have at least one area of their home or office they would prefer that no one ever see!

The word "clutter" comes from the same root word as "clot". Webster's Dictionary defines it as "to run in disorder, to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness."

Clutter affects our society at every level ? our personal lives, our families, our work, our businesses, and the world in general. It seems easy enough to eliminate ? just throw it away. If that were true, more people would do it. So what's the problem?

Frequently clutter is an emotional issue. Ironically, many of us have clutter because we were forced to give us something we considered valuable earlier in our lives, and now we can't even get rid of the junk in our lives. People who lived through The Great Depression, for example, cling to every minute object in the extreme fear that someday they might need it. A 25-year-old man, describing his home in which no friends or family had been for months wept as he recalled the death of his mother when he was four. A woman who shared her bedroom with four sisters at the age of eight now hangs on with desperation to everything that comes in her space at the age of 80. A gentleman shared that the dates of his clutter began the year he retired. Slums are filled with junk. The poorer we are ? in body or spirit -- the more we hang on: "It might be useful some day." The irony is that the more we hang on to what is not useful, the less room there is in our lives for those things which encourage us to be productive!

After spending 20+ years in the homes and offices of America, I have concluded that there are five components to a clutter- controlled environment:

1. Vision. It is impossible to even define our own clutter if we do not hold a clear picture of who we are, or what we are about. A photographer had on-going dreams about living in a tall, white tower with glass windows, while her real home was buried in clutter accumulated over 30+ years. When we focused on her love of the arts and what was aesthetically beautiful, letting go of the unsightly clutter became less painful, and even freeing.

2. Attitude. A book agent discussing the idea of a book on the subject of clutter commented, "Some of us are just slobs." Only if you want to be. Creating a pleasing and productive environment requires a process. If you honor the process, you will succeed.

3. Time. "How long is this going to take and how much is it going to cost?" is the first question asked by potential clients. My answer: "It doesn't really matter, but the longer you wait, the longer it's going to take and the more it's going to cost."

4. Tools. Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, my father taught me "Half of any job is having the right tool." The amount of effort required to control the clutter in your environment is directly related to the tools you use. One woman eliminated her struggle with scraps of paper on which she had scribbled phone numbers and appointments when she discovered that the only thing that mattered to her about her calendar was that it was beautiful.

5. Preservation. People often say, "Oh I can get organized. I just can't maintain it." Clients have taught me that if they can't maintain the environment we create with relative ease, we have to return to the one or more of the first four steps.

Your ability to enjoy your life, or to accomplish any task or goal is directly related to your ability to create and sustain a productive environment in which you can live and work.

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

---

10 Minute Tricks to Help You Get Organized

Whoever thought you'd be able to get organized in just... Read More

1-2-3 Sort

Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space... Read More

Keep, Get Rid Of, Or Not Sure?

Cleaning out can seem overwhelming -- especially if it's been... Read More

Your Organizing DNA

Do you like storing your papers on top of your... Read More

How Can I Deal With It All?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Have a to-do list a mile... Read More

Are You A Collector?

Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More

Just How Organized Are You? Take This Quiz For Individuals

The Productive Environment Scorecard?Read the statements below and rate your... Read More

Balance - And Other Things

The Mexican VillagerThe American investment banker was at the pier... Read More

Overcoming E-mail Overload Using Microsoft Outlook

Do you feel like you just get too much e-mail?... Read More

Simple Ideas to Conquer Paper Clutter

Are stacks of papers, mail, newspapers, and growing "to do"... Read More

5 Easy Tips on Light that You Can Use to Improve Your Day

Light, Work, and YouWinter is here-and with it, short days,... Read More

The True Definition of an Organization

The true definition of an organization is one that is... Read More

Kids Clutter: Organizing at Every Age

Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have... Read More

The Natural Law of Attrition

I'm cheap and proud of it.I use and re-use things... Read More

Making Life Easier, with NLP Chunking!

You know, in psychology there is a rule, especially within... Read More

10 Easy Tips for Digging Out Your Desk Today

Has your polished mahogany (or modular plastic) desk been buried... Read More

After the Clutter: 5 Steps to a New Daily Routine

I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More

5 Easy Steps to Making Housework More Manageable

Sometimes the task of keeping a clean, tidy house just... Read More

Digging out of Paper Clutter - part 2

We previously noted that papers must be sorted before they... Read More

Get Rid Of The Clutter

You really can have a successful business and a great... Read More

Is Your To Do List The Problem?

You start each week with great intentions. You are determined... Read More

Basic Organizing Principles

So you've decided to get organized, but you just don't... Read More

How Much Is Your Time Worth?

Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work?Do You Really Know... Read More

Clutter Campaign - Select Your Tools

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More

Without a Plan, You?re Doomed to Failure

"My job is an endless series of deadlines, I am... Read More

Memorabilia -- Use It or Lose It!

What do you do with those special items that have... Read More

Get Organised and Transform Your Life

It takes effort to get results, and not just any... Read More

Creating The Perfect Closet

Your closet is often the first thing you see in... Read More

Relieve Vacation Stress By Planning Ahead

Cindy looks at the calendar and sighs. Ah, the end... Read More

3-Step Clean Sweep Program to Organize

3-Step Clean Sweep Program 1 -... Read More

Clutter Campaign - Commit Your Time

Decide When And Where To StartDecide when and where to... Read More

Improve Your Workplace to Make Your Life Better

What does "quality of life" mean to you? If you... Read More

A Simple Effective Tool To Get And Stay Organized

Often we are in overwhelm because we are holding too... Read More