Survey #175 Response from Anonymous user
| Think about a decluttering project of any size that you’ve completed in the past. (The project may be as little as one section of cabinet, a drawer, or a small set of objects.) How successful have you been at maintaining the space or collection in the finished state? | I have never completed a decluttering project to what I would consider a finished state. |
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| For the project you thought about in the previous question, what habits, attitudes, events, people, or other factors contribute to your tendency to re-clutter the space? (For example, “I’m a habitual shopper” or “My family doesn’t respect my organizing efforts” or “The mail just keeps coming!”) | House guests cause me to stuff-shuffle because I do so much at the dining room table instead of in the overstuffed "office." Stuff-shuffling means projects get jumbled, and, depending on other events, I might not get back to at least some of the piles for years. I've had a hard time figuring out how to clear the office to make it usable while other tasks and events keep appearing on my to-do list. Can't seem to catch up... |
| What habits, mindsets, practices, or other factors contribute to your ability to successfully maintain a previously cluttered space? (For example, “I reset my dining room after each meal” or “I’ve set a limit of five decorative items in each room” or “I use the ‘after’ photo I took as motivation to keep my bathroom shelves organized.”) | Looking at a clean, organized, decluttered space brings satisfaction and a feeling of peace. But this is too rare of an occasion. |
| In which collections or categories of stuff are you most inclined to re-clutter—i.e., to refill areas and spaces that you’ve previously had success decluttering? (For example, “I purge my clothes closet every couple of years, but it’s always overflowing again within three months” or “My coffee mug collection is always out of control.”) | Paper, paper, paper! I've gotten much better at not letting myself clip too many items from the newspaper (but that may be largely because there is hardly anything in the newspaper anymore). But insurance papers keep showing up, other mail, etc. 2-3 years ago I did stop all magazine subscriptions. |
| Fill in the blank: “When I finish my current decluttering/organizing project, I’m going to treat myself to ___.” | I guess my problem is that I don't have a single project; everything needs attention... |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). If we think that your question—and our answer—might be useful or instructive to The Clutter Fairy Weekly audience, we’ll share them in an upcoming episode. | I'm really looking forward to the discussion this coming week. A lot of my stuff is well-aged clutter, and I can think of many items in cabinets and cupboards that I am fully ready to divest myself of, but there are family circumstances that make keeping it a bit longer probably wisest so I don't have to replace it. Most of those hidden items don't really impair function of rooms, but it still seems like it might be easier to deal with "items" rather than paper. Sorry, I think I'm rambling... |
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