Survey #257—Full Response from Kit
| Pronouns | They/them |
|---|---|
| How have your ideas, attitudes, and behaviors around clutter changed over the course of your adult life? Do you have a higher or lower threshold for what counts as “clutter”? | I learned that I can't keep everything and have my house stay under control. I remembered back to my teen years when I had a minimal bedroom and loved it. I began decluttering my stuff and the visible places in our home to be functional and peaceful. Later, I helped my daughter declutter as she integrated things from her married life into our home. We're down to 4 boxes of books in the garage. Even later, my spouse began to appreciate the peaceful atmosphere created by the clear space and started helping me. His wardrobe is about 1/3 the size it used to be, and the bedroom and gameroom are much clearer. We're now also working on the garage. It's got a long way to go, but a couple of weeks ago we hauled away a truck full of donations and things for the landfill. I think the key in there will be to define the space - which sections are assigned to which categories of items, and which things just don't belong? |
| Do you find it easier or harder to declutter and organize as time goes by? Are there categories of stuff that get easier to manage? Are there categories that get harder to manage? | When I was young, we had many fewer things, and organizing was my joy. Then I kept way too many things, and organizing became impossible. Intentional decluttering was head-exploding at first, but it's much easier now. The key to success for me is to think about it for 1-4 years, then finally let annoyance overcome my reluctance. (Oh, and to recognize something predestined to be clutter and donate it as soon as it comes into the house.) 🙂 Categories that are easier to manage are clothes and everyday pantry items and cookware. Categories that are harder to manage for myself are sentimental/holiday items, paper, and electronic accessories. Categories that are harder to manage because of family members are books & magazines, CDs & DVDs, sports equipment, furniture, and tools. For me, all categories of unused items seem to get easier to manage over time as I think of them as already having been time-tested. Unless they belonged to someone who has passed away; I still have an upright piano for that reason.... |
| Think about the person in your life who’s had the most impact on your decluttering and organizing, or the person whose own clutter creates the most impact on you. This may be a spouse, partner, roommate, child, parent, another member of your household, or someone outside your household or family. How have this person’s ideas, attitudes, and behaviors around clutter—or the way their stuff affects you—changed over the course of your relationship? | Spouse has begun to come around to the idea that intentional decluttering is both necessary and potentially emotionally uplifting. He's been working on his own stuff for more than a year now, to the point that it's become a casual, routine behavior. He still holds tighter to stuff than I do, so that's still a struggle. |
| If you could ask for one small change in someone else’s behavior that would improve the state of your home, what would it be? | Let the books, magazines, and DVDs go. |
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