Comments on: Cluttered

By: Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities

Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:43:13 +0000

This is such an interesting post. And for me, very timely. My home and heart and mind are very cluttered and I am just now realizing that this is in part out of choice. Intellectually, I love the idea of tidiness and clean lines. But in reality, I thrive in chaos, find metaphor in mayhem. How to reconcile my desire for order and the reality that chaos is what drives me?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:55:06 +0000

Oh man, if that stuff is clutter then what the heck is all the crap in my house called? Ayayayayiayaiyaiyaiyai!

I agree with clutter. I like it. I like organized clutter. Not junk. Not old mail I haven’t thrown away and let stack up for weeks on end. But little bit and pieces of reminders that I very much LIVE in this house. Notes, phone numbers taped to my monitor, books under, over and on everything. Kids artwork tucked in drawers. Screwdrivers parked on every ledge.

Oh man. I could do some serious examining of all of this…I suppose. But it’s me. And, like you, it makes me comfortable. When there gets to be too much of it, I clean it up and start anew…but all while leaving a arrangement of stuff around as the bare minimum.

By: Maria

Maria — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:08:23 +0000

Don’t feel bad! Within my clutter, I know where the majority of the stuff I need is…and really, I hate to have to go through all of it to clean up…It will get to a point, from time to time, where I must PURGE!!! And I do! I think that time is better spent living that keeping stuff clutter free!

By: Monique

Monique — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:15:15 +0000

Anne, I can totally relate AND I’m so glad you put it out there. I tend to feverishly clean up around the house/office/car right before people come around because I’m seen as a relatively list-oriented/organized girl (which often equates to clutterless). This post validates that I can be both!!

By: Gale

Gale — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:00:45 +0000

I could never go pure “minimalist.” I too need a certain level of “stuff” around me to feel homey and settled. But I need those things to be tidy and organized. I like shelves filled with books, but for the books to be categorized in some way. I like recipes that have been handed down, but for them to be filed correctly. When the stuff becomes clutter I start to infer it as a manifestation of the rest of my life and a sign that it’s time to tidy up – both literally and metaphorically.

By: terry

terry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:54:08 +0000

At the age of 48, four years ago, I removed all my clutter. I remodeled a home into a modern dwelling that allows for no clutter. It’s great except I can’t figure out what to do with all my clutter?

By: anne

anne — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:13:44 +0000

I’ve never heard that expression!! And I’m not sure it’s a compliment? But yes…my clutter is uber-charming. If you like clutter.

By: Anne's

Anne's — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:10:42 +0000

Just to share a little from one of Anne’s pre-school teachers: In reference to how a kid “keeps” her bedroom–cluttered or tidy–one of Anne’s pre-school teachers called it “Sitting on apple cores.” Anne’s clutter is part of her charm.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:47:26 +0000

Well, to feel more peaceful, you can do what a crazy relative of mine does: she writes to-do lists incorporating things she has already done, just so she can cross them off. Like “Get up.” “Get dressed.” I’m not kidding.
As for clutter, and as for all things: moderation is the key. I agree that too little clutter is sterile. Too much and you’ll start showing up on Hoarders. You need the “just right” amount.