Yo-Yo Cluttering


A yo-yo clutterer is someone who spends a weekend bagging and boxing stuff that is no longer wanted or needed. The bags and boxes of clutter get stored in a spare room, not sent to a charity or deposited in the trash and recycle bins because it took two days and a lot of energy to clean up the clutter. A yo-yo clutterer doesn't have a maintenance schedule to stay on top of clutter. It's an all or nothing routine. For a short time the home appears to be clutter free but like a weed, the clutter comes back and spreads from one room to the next, usually growing into a larger uncontrolled mess than the first turn round.

Are you a yo-yo clutterer?

1. Do you have a room or rooms in your home that store boxes which haven't been opened in over 12 months? Boxes that are unlabeled and hold material goods of various origins?

2. Do you leave the task of removing clutter for a long weekend or take vacation time to purge large spaces of clutter?

3. Do you purge your home of clutter every holiday season because family is coming over but the clutter never makes it out of the house, it just hides behind closed doors.

4. Do you think, "This time when I clean up it's going to work. I'm going to be rid of the excess once and for all."

5. Do you have to keep decluttering the same rooms over and over?

6. Do you think, "Oh I can just store it there for a little while."

7. Do you live a double life? Nobody knows what lurks behind door #1, #2, #3...

8. Have you spent a small fortune on every storage bin known to consumers?

9. Is your dream to live a simpler life and never have to deal with clutter again?

10. Are you subscribed to ten similar clutter mailing lists and is your inbox full of unopened mail from these lists?

If you identify with any of the ten items above, you've likely felt the ups and downs of yo-yo cluttering. If you're ready to cut the strings and begin a daily maintenance program all you need to start is a clutter tool kit. Check back in two weeks, on October 20th, 2001 for the next installment when I will have a complete checklist to build your very own personalized clutter tool kit.

The copyright of the article Yo-Yo Cluttering in Household Organization is owned by Janet Kitto. Permission to republish Yo-Yo Cluttering in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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