Most people know that clutter isn’t a good thing. I don’t mean light clutter or the normal untidiness, but serious clutter will hurt you. Both in your personal and your business life. If you have serious clutter anywhere, it is affecting you. Whether it’s in your:

  • Closet
  • Kitchen
  • Work area
  • Accounting
  • Client files
  • Calendar
  • or anywhere else where you spend time.

It makes you feel tired, frustrated, out of control. It makes you less focused, less productive, and less creative. Studies have shown that clutter overloads your senses. As entrepreneurs, we rely heavily on our focus, productivity, and creativity. So there are many good reasons to deal with it before it gets too bad. I’m far from the tidiest person there is, but when the clutter reaches a level where I feel it affecting me, I deal with it. I hate housework, but I won’t let myself be limited by clutter. I’ve been getting better at keeping the clutter away the last few years, though. So I rarely have to do a really big clean-up.

 

What are some other issues that come up for you when it comes to clutter?

32 Comments

  1. Daphne

    When clutter gets too much, definitely attack it!

    Reply
  2. Eva Synnergren

    I agree Linda. Clutter really makes you feel trapped, losing your breath. I have an opportunity for improvement in this field. (I sometimes pretend that I am bohemic. That helps a little.)

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      Yes, it does. I have an opportunity for improvement as well. Calling myself an artist is also a good one 🙂

      Reply
  3. Joanna Sormunen

    This is so true! I’m really bad at planning and organizing. I’m more of an anarchyst and with the flow person with ocational bouts of control freekiness. I tend to call my style organized anarchy, lol. But I have learned with the years that organizend does help me and saves me from a lot of stress. So, I don’t enjoy it but I do it because it needs to be done and it allows me to concentrate on the fun stuff later on.

    Reply
  4. Suzie Cheel

    Wow my topic this morning as i have lots of clutter to deal with so I started with one drawer 🙂

    Reply
  5. Sharon

    I totally agree. I sometimes let my workspace so cluttered that I have to designate a day to declutter

    Reply
  6. Clara

    When it comes to clutter my last big challenge to win is the closet: especially when I decide to change my bag three-four times a week… I must improve…

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      Changing you bag is a form of de-cluttering, isn’t it? If you have the same bag all the time, it gets filled with lots of stuff that doesn’t need to be there. It’s just a matter of not placing the stuff in the closet when you switch 🙂

      Reply
  7. Kimberly Gypsy LoSavio

    AH the dreaded clutter business! Yep. And boy to I relate! I’m pretty excited about doing a mass declutter though this year! Sean (hubby) and I have finally picked a “target” date for our big move to Northwestern Oregon. Ok it’s very vague but 2016 is the date. IN the mean time, I am on a mission to donate, give away and toss a bunch of crap this year so we only need to fill the trailer we inherited when his mom died — which we still have to through and declutter as well! And it’s all about PENNING it in to your calendar and sticking to it! I’m picking 2 days a month and each day is focusing on one specific area.

    I’m looking forward to opening up all that space for the Universe 😀 Woot Woot!

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      We tossed a whole container full of stuff when we moved here. We’ve probably gotten just as much since 😀 A good clear-out is so liberating. We just got ourselves three more bookcases to get some order in the chaos that was. I can finally bring my books out of the boxes 🙂

      Reply
  8. Lorelle Mac

    I’ve recently dealt with my email clutter. You know the general gmail account you use to sign up to newsletters, your social media notifications go to, advertising etc. I emptied it right down to about a dozen emails from personal friends. Now each morning after reading new emails I delete them. I assess the newsletters as they come in and unsubscribe from the ones which no longer interest me. I’ve changes notification settings in social media. It’s very freeing to the mind.
    The house is generally ok. My desk and beading work area I need to do between projects as they are small areas.

    Reply
  9. Margaret

    Does clutter ever effect us!! It drives me crazy! I am not able to think, so the best way to combat it is to get yourself accustom to putting things away immediately after use. Factor cleanup into your projects.

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      Yes, it’s sometimes easier said than done though. Sometimes it requires that you train the others in your home to do the same.

      Reply
  10. Keri Kight

    You’re so right Linda. Clutter affects us severely. Have you ever watched the show “Hoarders”? Most of the people on that show are depressed or something similar. I’m sure the mess only made things worse for them. I grew up very messy and cluttered, and my parents should loved it. Not! It wasn’t until I moved out and was on my own that I realized what it was doing to me. I finally made a decision to change, and it’s certainly helped my mood.

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      Yes, I have. I believe horders have a form of OCD, but I’m sure the clutter makes it worse. I’m glad you figured it out early 🙂

      Reply
  11. Delmy

    A clutter space tends to clutter my mind too. It doesn’t have to be absolutely tidy for me to take on a task, just orderly. Sometimes though by the time I have put the area in order, I have no time to finish my work. . . a vicious circle I would say 🙂

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      It at least makes for a distracted and frustrated mind 🙂

      Reply
  12. Delia @ Blog Formatting

    I am a lot like you, Linda! I can deal with a certain level of clutter and then at some point it has to go 🙂

    Right now I am working towards clearing cluttered places in my business and getting clarity on what I need to focus on. Timely post!

    Reply
  13. Suzie Cheel

    So true and the universe let me know that yesterday. My computer was very cluttered and it stopped functioning yesterday and have had to reformat. I need a declutter plan for 2014

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      You only need to clean it up a bit, and do a defrag 🙂 But either way helps. Formatting makes for a lot more work though.

      Reply
  14. Lisa Mallis

    I find that scheduling regular maintenance times helps me keep the clutter at bay. Each Friday I return my Inbox to zero. Each day I clear my desktop before leaving my office. Each year (when I do my taxes) I purge my file cabinets, etc., etc. Thanks for the great post, Linda!

    Reply
    • Linda Ursin

      My pleasure Lisa. I’m glad you liked it. I can’t say I have a system in place yet, but I’m working on it.

      Reply

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