Somebody Else’s Problem: Clutter in Relationships (YouTube Video)
In many marriages, roommate situations, or other living arrangements, we find ourselves with a partner who is significantly more or less organized than we are. At best, this kind of imbalance creates tension; at worst, it leads to arguments, hurt feelings, and a heightened sense of overwhelm.
At the February 2018 meeting of the Houston Clutter Coaching Meetup Group, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, talked about how to navigate the troubled waters of clutter-unbalanced relationships. She suggested strategies for communicating perceptions, needs, standards, and priorities, whether you’re the more- or less-organized partner. She offered tips for negotiating agreements in pursuit of results that you can both live with.
Ed is doing the ironing while Gayle looks on…
Clearly, he’s the taller one!
This video really spoke to me. My husband has a hard time letting go of anything. I don’t push him on his office but I have been trying to declutter the rest of the house. I did a lot last year but stopped around the holidays. Now we’re getting wood floors put in (to replace 20 year old carpet) and it’s new fabulous motivator to get rid of stuff we don’t need since we have to pack up the rooms they are working on. Thank you for the good points and starting the conversation!
I’m so glad you have a new deadline with a great reward at the end! Do the work to clear the storage and you get beautiful new wood floors!