Okay, the title sounds a little harsh. And I was really hesistant to start here but I need your attention for this one because its HUGE! The reason our homes are a mess is because we don’t have the right strategies in place when it comes to managing clutter.

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe clutter is inevitable.

No matter what we do, I believe clutter always finds a way. Kids grow out of clothes, technology changes, and Target Dollar Spot tiny pumpkins exist. By accepting that clutter is inevitable, I am free from the guilt of having to feel like its my fault every times it crops up. I accept it as part of life in a country where I have access to so much. And as CMO of my home, its my job to manage it.

So thats what this post is all about - a strategy to managing clutter so you can give it the one-two punch, stop feeling guilty, and starting enjoying your home again. To tackle clutter we have to come at it like your mom on school picture day - hair-sprayed and gelatenous. In other words, we have to have both preventative and defensive strategies in place to win the clutter battle.

Preventative Strategies

Think about preventative strategies like the motion lights that go off in your yard and scare a potential intruder away .It spots the clutter and scares it off before it ever enters your house (slowly puts back little tiny orange dollar-spot-pumpkin).

Here at Organize Nashville, my favorite preventative strategy is what I call the TRIPLE P: Pause before you Purchase (and ask these three questions*):

1. Will buying this add to my overall lifetime happiness?

2. Is there a another more efficient way to meet the same need?

3. Can the same benefit be had if I delay purchase?

Try asking these questions next time you are about to buy something not on the list. Plus, here are two other preventative strategies:

• Go on a 30 day spending freeze to strengthen your Triple P muscles

• Wait 24 hours after you ADD TO CART to purchase items

Defensive Strategies

While the preventative strategy is a great way to slow the flow of clutter into your home, its not foolproof and we aren’t robots! Sometimes we buy something on impulse, sometimes we buy the wrong thing the first time, sometimes our kids grow two sizes in one month 🤦🏻‍♀️. Clutter happens.

If our preventative strategy is the motion lights or the dog barking to ward off the clutter-intruder, our defensive strategy is the alarm that sounds when clutter has entered the building. The alarm can be quiet though so we have to make sure we are looking for the flashing red lights before a real clutter-emergency happens (I talk more about clutter emergencies here). This is where its super important to recognize the signs that its time to declutter.

7 Signs Its Time to Declutter:

1. You’ve got a lot of clothes you are waiting to fit into (and you aren’t in your 4th or 5th trimester)

2. You’re misplacing common items like your keys, wallet and cellphone more frequently

3. You have a lot of duplicates

4. You have clothes sitting on a bench or a chair for weeks at a time

5. You’re starting to feel a little sentimental about your junk

6. Its taking longer to tidy the toys

7. You feel resentment building. Am I the only one picking up EVER?

If any of these ring true, then its your alarm bell that its time to declutter. And thats no big deal because clutter is a part of life. After all, clutter is inevitable.

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*questions are via MMM and can be found here: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/the-3-questions-to-ask/