The latest installment (v31) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my newest discoveries informing, educating, and relating to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring, clutter-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a wonderfully generous, warm, and engaged group. I am deeply appreciative and grateful for your presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community.

I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? - 5 Clutter-Related Finds

1. Interesting Read – Extreme Clutter

Are you curious about hoarding behavior, chronic disorganization, and how to help yourself or a loved one be safe in a cluttered space? In Filled Up and Overflowing – What to do when life events, chronic disorganization, or hoarding go overboard, Diane Quintana, CPO-CD® and Jonda Beattie, M.Ed, professional organizing colleagues and authors, share their and their clients’ experiences and insights through poignant stories. They describe how to distinguish hoarding behavior from other types of disorganization and clutter, describe effective strategies, and include valuable resources. Diane and Jonda write about the importance of being respectful when helping. They suggest, “Ask permission before touching anything, opening any drawer, cupboard, or closet…before moving anything – even a small piece of paper or a box that is in the way.” They explain that the movement can cause distress. “Even though it looks like random stacks of stuff to you, they know where their possessions are and will become panicked if they cannot find them.” If you are a professional, a family member, or friend of someone challenged by hoarding behavior and want to help, this is an essential go-to guide.

2. Interesting Trend – Aesthetic Clutter

Photo by #thecluttercore (Instagram)

Have you heard of cluttercore? It is a relatively new design aesthetic trend from pop culture that first gained attention on TikTok. Cluttercore is now visible on other social media platforms, too, like Instagram and Twitter. Search #cluttercore to see a variety of visuals. You’ve heard of the minimalist aesthetic and movement. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Marianne Eloise describes cluttercore as maximalist, a “messy, actually lived-in lifestyle.”

It’s a rejection of minimalism. Eloise says, “It’s a stuff-centric aesthetic however, it has little in common with careless hoarding.” Cluttercore rooms look cozy, lived in, and filled with lots of “artfully arranged,” carefully chosen things. As the enthusiast Micah describes, “Cluttercore is in no way a promotion of unhealthy hoarding of material objects and garbage, but rather an appreciation of things we can call our own.”

“Spring is a great season to declutter the extraneous.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

3. Interesting Podcast  – Thing Clutter

In this podcast episode “Things,” WNYC’s Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich (since retired) discuss “things you can hold and things that can take hold of you.”  During this personal conversation, they talk about objects, their relationship to them, and the thought process for keeping or letting them go. The dialogue is reminiscent of the decision-making conversations I’ve had with clients as they talk and decide about the clutter in their lives.

4. Interesting Season – Declutter Clutter

With temperatures warming, thinner layers of clothing, and flowers blooming, this is an inspirational moment to let go, de-stress, and get organized. Spring is a great season to set your organizing goals, declutter the extraneous, and create the calm at home that you deserve. Change is possible, especially with support. If you are struggling, enlist help from a compassionate and non-judgmental friend, family member, or professional organizer like me. I’m ready to help. Discover how virtual organizing can work for you and why my clients love it so much. Let’s talk. Call 914-271-5673 or email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com.

5. Interesting Thought – Mind Clutter

Clutter isn’t just reserved for the physical stuff we own. We can also experience mind clutter, which makes it hard to think clearly and focus. Some of my favorite mind decluttering strategies include:

• Doing a brain download with a pen and paper

• Taking a walk in nature

• Practicing mindfulness meditation

• Organizing a small space or area. The reduction of physical clutter can result in less mental clutter.

What are your interesting finds? Which of these resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

When my organizing clients describe how they feel about their clutter, the word they use most frequently is “overwhelm.”  Their accumulation of papers, magazines, clothing, toys, gadgets, housewares, or collections has turned into what they perceive as “overwhelming clutter.”  Clutter tolerance varies. For some, a small pile of papers will feel overwhelming, and for others, a closet bursting with clothing will tip their overwhelm scale. Response to clutter can make you feel stuck or motivated to take action. Both reactions are normal. 

If your clutter is making it hard to focus, move through your space, or adding extra stress, this is an excellent time to use a simple strategy.  I use it regularly with my virtual organizing clients. We activate the decluttering magic of the mindful edit. What’s that? I was hoping you would ask. 

Clutter is an accumulation of stuff. It represents postponed decisions, objects without homes, misplaced items, or things that have overstayed their welcome. Editing happens first, which clears the clutter so that getting organized can begin. The beauty of the mindful edit is that it can be done in tiny time blocks- five, ten, or twenty minutes. Using small blocks of time to ask quality questions, edit, and declutter makes the process doable and less overwhelming.

“The beauty of the mindful edit is that it can be done in tiny time blocks.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Especially when you are overwhelmed, instead of creating a big plan, making you feel more overwhelmed, think small. It’s OK to allow the editing process to be more organic rather than defining every step. Begin in a tiny area like a kitchen drawer, a closet rack, or a single paper pile. The goal is to edit a little section and then move on to the next.

Ask mindful editing questions:

• Does this item belong in this room?

• Can I reroute it to another location?

• Do I need this?

• Do I like it?

• Is it still useful?

• Can I donate, trash, or recycle it? 

• Does it need to occupy primary real estate?

• Has it expired?

• Do I have to be the keeper of this paper, information, or can I easily find it on the Internet?

• Is it enhancing or detracting from my life, space, or area?

• Is it adding to overwhelm and clutter?

• Can I release it now?

• Is it time to part ways and let it go?

You might have other questions that you love to ask. The better your questions are, the more successful the edit, and the less clutter you will have.

There is tremendous power in the mindful edit and the positive feelings you will experience when you let go. What are your favorite editing questions for reducing clutter? Do you have a recent editing experience you want to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Clutter can creep into our lives and consume valuable energy. It can show up physically as paper piles on desks or kitchen counters, clothing flowing out of closets and drawers, or bins full of toys the kids no longer play with. There is also mind clutter, which can consume your thoughts. Physical clutter and mind clutter are closely connected. Have you ever noticed how challenging it is to think, be productive, or relax when your physical environment feels cluttered?

In the same way that I begin writing with a blank page, I engage more successfully in daily life when my space is clear with few distractions. For example, when I’m about to cook, I prefer the kitchen to be clean with uncluttered surfaces and an empty sink. When I work on a project like writing or developing a workshop, I focus better when my desk is clear of paper scraps and other projects. At night, I sleep better, getting into a made bed with clean sheets. Being in a clear, uncluttered place can be energizing or relaxing. 

However, when our mind clutter is dominating the internal conversation, what can you do? There are five effective strategies I regularly use for calming mind clutter. Some of these simultaneously address physical clutter.

5 Useful Strategies to Calm Your Mind Clutter

1. Get Out!

Yes. You guessed it. To clear the mind, getting outside for a walk is highly effective. Even a small dose of fresh air, be it five, ten, or sixty minutes, can do wonders for the cluttered mind. It’s even more beneficial if you can walk in nature. The fragrances of spring are intoxicating- lilacs and Lily of the Valley scent the air.

2. Free Write

Grab a pen and your favorite journal or pad of paper, then download the swirl of thoughts onto paper. Don’t worry about editing or organizing your thoughts in any way. Just allow them to flow. You might be surprised what comes out. Writing is an excellent way to unclutter the mind. 

“Writing is an excellent way to unclutter the mind.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

3. Just Meditate
Practicing mindfulness meditation is a gentle way to work with a full mind. The idea isn’t to empty your mind during the practice. The quiet allows a place to let thoughts float by without judging or engaging in the content. You can also experiment with focusing on the breath while meditating. This will calm the mind and switch you into the rest and digest mode.

4. Shred It!

Shredding paper is so cathartic. As you release and shred physical piles and files, the mind unclutters too. The physical act of releasing enables the mind to also let go. Shredding is one way to unclutter. Any type of letting go of physical objects that have overstayed their welcome work wonders in releasing your mind clutter.

5. Take Care

Having jumbled thoughts can be connected to sleeping too few hours, not eating nutritiously, or ignoring self-care. When was the last time you took care of yourself? What did that look like? It’s not selfish to take a bubble bath or extra long shower, get a massage or pedicure, or sleep for eight hours. Relaxation time is essential to reducing mind clutter.

When your mind is cluttered, what strategy is most effective for you? I would love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Letting go can be challenging, especially when we have strong emotional attachments to our things. You might wonder why you have to let go? You don’t. You always have a choice. However, there are pivotal moments in our lives when letting go is necessary and you’re struggling. Perhaps you are in the midst of a significant life change like moving or rightsizing. Maybe you lost a loved one and are responsible for editing and dispossessing their things. Or, perhaps you are overwhelmed with a mountain of belongings that no longer deserve physical or mental space in your life. When we combine emotional transitions with a propensity for strong attachments to our stuff, letting go can be difficult.

Minimalist Leo Babauta wrote something, which resonated with me. He referred to “the skill of letting go.”  All skills require practice. His description is infused with hope. It suggests that even if you are struggling with letting go, you can practice and improve. This is something I’ve experienced with my clients. The more they work at letting go, the less challenging it becomes.

4 Ways to Let Go of Things When Emotional Attachments are Powerful

1. Exercise Letting Go Muscles

I’ve always perceived letting go as a muscle that needs to be exercised like other muscles. However, we wouldn’t start lifting with a 100 lb. weight. We’d start small, maybe with a five-pounder, and build from there. This thought process is similar to letting go of the things we’re attached to. Exercise your letting go muscles by starting with the “lighter-weight” possessions like clothing or junk mail. Get a letting go rhythm established and work your way to the “heavier-weight” items that you feel more emotionally connected. Like most of us starting an exercise routine, it’s helpful to have an accountability partner or trainer. For help exercising your letting go muscles, hire a professional organizer like me, or work with a trusted friend or family member. It can make all the difference.

2. Normalize Emotional Attachments

It is prevalent, especially with people challenged by disorganization, to have strong emotional attachments to things. When attachments are heightened, identify and display your most valued treasures, set boundaries around what “enough” means, and use physical boundary parameters like a box or closet size. For items that get released, make the “homes” they go meaningful and that the places or people they are donated or given to will appreciate them. All of these things will make letting go easier to process.

“Letting go can be challenging, especially when we have strong emotional attachments to our things.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

3. Incentivize Letting Go

When we invite people over for a small gathering (tiny these days because of the pandemic,) what happens? Most of us become motivated to make our home guest-ready. This can include cleaning, decluttering, and letting go. Establishing a manufactured date can boost incentive for getting your home “good enough” for your company. Consider increasing the frequency of invitations to friends and family (using COVID safety protocols) as a dual incentive- more socializing time and increased opportunities to sort, edit, organize, and let go.

4. Minimize Kinesthetic Sympathy

When we physically touch things, it can increase our emotional attachment to them. This is the premise of kinesthetic sympathy. If you can, work with someone who can physically hold up the items for you while selecting what to keep or release. Putting physical distance and touch between you and the object can make decision-making more manageable. Physical space decreases emotional attachment and helps distinguish what is most treasured from the things that are no longer needed.

Do you or someone you know feel challenged with letting go? Do emotional attachments make it harder to let go? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.