Psychology of Clutter

This Saturday is Earth Day. A friend of mine alerted me to some hazardous waste collection events in my area. I’ve searched the Internet and found that many communities are having similar programs this weekend. Check with your local municipality.

This might be just the motivation you need to get rid of some things you knew better than to put in the garbage. FYI-here is a non-exhaustive list of things you should never throw in your regular trash:

Other Flammable Products

• Propane tanks and other compressed gas cylinders
• Kerosene
• Home heating oil
• Diesel fuel
• Gas/oil mix
• Lighter fluid

Happy Earth Day!

Courtsey of Tom-Cate’s Flickr account

Happy Tax Day. I hope this post finds you comfortably in front of your computer and not worrying about getting to the Post Office on time. For those of you who are interested, I found a site from the IRS that helps you figure out if you qualify for a stimulus check, how much, and when you’ll get it. Go to this site for more information: IRS Economic Stimulus Program Information.

Back to more important business. The winner of the Smead All-in-One Tax Organizer is “Daniel O.” At first I thought this might not have been  a real entry. The URL entered was Professional Jackass. I clicked and there he was so congratuations Daniel. I will send your e-mail address to Jenny and she will contact you for a mailing address.

The winner of Mike Nelson’s book Stop Clutter from Stealing Your Life is “Beth’s Friend.” I will contact you for a mailing address as Mike’s publisher has already sent me the book.

Congratulations to Daniel O and Beth’s Friend. I hope you both get a lot of use out of your prizes.

Mike Nelson is well known in the world of people who write about clutter. He is the founder of Clutterless.org and has written several books including Stop Clutter From Wrecking Your Family and Clutter-Proof Your Business. I recently received a revised copy of his Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life: Discover Why You Clutter & How You Can Stop.

Mike is a fan of Psychology of Clutter. He even references the blog a couple of times in his book. The post Ho, Ho, Holy Cow Look At All These Christmas Decorations is included in its entirety. Mike also excerpts some text from our discussions regarding ADHD.

There are many topics important to people who clutter included in this book. Mike explores the common emotional traits of clutterers, how clutter is treated in popular culture, the spiritual side of clutter and overcoming ties to physical things. My favorite chapter title has to be, Hearses Don’t Have Trailer Hitches. Here he has a frank conversation about not saving something for someone to get after you die. Give it to them now!

You know me, I told Mike I would blog about his book if he would donate one for a contest. I probably would have blogged about it anyway. I mean, the guy did put me in his book. Anyway, to enter the contest, just let me know you want in. I will select a winner on April 15^th, the same day the Tax Organizer contest ends.

If you live in the States, income taxes are due in two weeks. The dreaded April 15th deadline is quickly approaching.

About a week ago, I received a very friendly e-mail from Jenny Silgen with Strother Communications Group. She asked if I thought Psychology of Clutter readers would be interested in knowing about Smead’s All-in-One Income Tax Organizer. There is a picture of it at the top of this post. You know me, I turned it in to a contest. Jenny will send the winner a free organizer and she sent me one to try out.

My taxes are already done so for this year I am all set. The interesting thing about this product is that Jenny informed me that Smead only sells them at Office Depot retail locations in the Spring. They are not available online–only in stores and only right now.

This is the type of product I would use to keep track of things I need for my taxes as they come in throughout the year.  If I didn’t have a system in place I wouldn’t know where to find the stuff come Spring. Jenny needs to convince Smead to keep these organizers on the shelf thoughout the year. I am going to use mine in preparation for next year. I especially like that I can burn a copy of my taxes to a disk and store it right with the documents in a pouch in the back.

If you need practical advice on how to organize your taxes and other financial documents, I would recommend you check out Sidney Blum’s article on How Stuff Works.com.

Back to the contest–leave a comment on the blog to enter the contest. I will let the random number generator choose a winner on April 15th. Appropriate, don’t you think? In the meantime, if you need your All-in-One Income Tax Organizer now, try your local Office Depot.

Last year around this time I wrote about the dreaded tradition of “Spring Cleaning.” This year my house feels a little more funky than it did this time last year. Things are generally organized, but there seems to be a layer of “yuck” that wasn’t here last year. Remember there is a difference between cleaning and organizing.

I have identified what is bothering me. It is essentially walls and floors. I have lived in this house for three years now and feel the need to wash the walls and baseboards. The carpets have been cleaned several times but they need it again. With two dogs and a doggie door, the carpet really takes a beating. The fun they have is completely worth the dirt, but it has to be cleaned up. I recognize that this is my “has to” and not anyone else’s. Nothing truly bad will happen if I don’t clean the carpets.

The other issue that quickly comes to the forefront is my closet. The weather is starting to change in Alabama and I need to rotate my clothes. As I have noted before when it comes to organizing my closet, I am always faced with poor buying choices I have made when it comes time to do this task.

I fall in to the trap that many others face. I look at something and say, “this is perfectly good.” The problem is that I have not worn that “perfectly good” piece of clothing all season long so clearly I don’t like it. It is simply taking up valuable real estate in my closet and needs to be donated. It can be “perfectly good” for someone else who will actually wear it.

Remember it is not wasteful to donate something you don’t use. It is wasteful to hold on to something you do not use and keep someone else from being able to enjoy it. I have written down how I tear apart my closet when I need a full overhaul in the post: Practical Steps for Cleaning Out Your Closet Clutter.

And then there is always the need to reorganize the dresser–plenty to do. I’m glad I tend to get a burst of energy this time of year.

The random number generator selected Gwen as the winner of the subscription to Success magazine. Gwen, I will forward your e-mail to Rachel Konik so she can contact you for mailing information.

If you still need your fix of Success magazine, remember Seeds of Success is a free service and will deliver insights from the writers of Success right to your Inbox.

On a happy yet unrelated note, my not as good-looking and much older brother got a new puppy! If you have been around for a while you may remember me blogging about my dogs. Everyone say “hi” to the newest addition to our family. His name is Linus and I can’t wait to meet him in person.

Check out this darn comprehensive list of great blogs available at CollegeDegree.com. I love that I made this list.

• 100 Productivity and Lifehack Blogs

If anyone is interested in hearing me talk about Clutter, I am being interviewed live on  CKLW AM 800 Windsor/Detroit tomorrow at 3:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. You can listen live from their Web site.

Around the beginning of the year I was contacted by Rachel Konik from the Rosen Group. She is working the grass-roots PR campaign for Success Magazine. Rachel had asked me if I would consider blogging about the new magazine. Knowing that many readers have difficulty holding on to magazines I was less than enthusiastic.

Fast forward a few months. I have found myself addicted to the content available at SuccessMagazine.com. Their list of expert contributors is extensive. When I have a few minutes I will click on a familiar name such as Maya Angelou, Normal Vincent Peale, or Dave Ramsey and read some of their stuff.

As it so happens, Rachel contacted me again a week or so ago to tell me about a free service called Seeds of Success. It is touted as “Great Ideas, Tips and Inspiration Planted in your Inbox Every Week.” Rachel also offered a free subscription to a Psychology of Clutter reader as a prize.

I want you to take a second before you enter this contest. Don’t enter if you have trouble throwing away magazines. I certainly don’t want to create clutter for a “lucky” reader. To enter this contest, leave the comment “I can discard magazines when I am done reading them,” or something to that effect. Whatever works for you. I’ll do the random number generator thing on Friday, May 21st, to select a winner.

If you know you have a problem with holding on to magazines, consider surfing the Success Magazine Website and maybe signing up for Seeds of Success. Know yourself and do what is best for you. Don’t start surfing the Success Magazine site however without allowing yourself enough time. I’ve gotten lost over there for HOURS!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

27

Timestamp: 2008-03-14 15:03:14 UTC

Comment number 27 won the contest for Bryan Hutchinson’s

One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir: Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD.

Congratulations Greg. I’ll be in touch via e-mail to get a mailing address. Copies of Bryan’s book are available via the Amazon.com link above.

There will be another contest next week courtesy of Success magazine. See you then.

A few weeks back I was interviewed via telephone by Melissa Schorr, a writer for MSNBC.com.  In contrast to many of the requests I get, Melissa was actually wanting to know if our culture’s current obsession with organization and cleanliness has gone too far.

In our conversation, Melissa cited the many television shows devoted to the topic and the backlash that seems to be building in the popular media. Anyone remember how relieved some people were when A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder–How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place was published?

 Click on the title to read Melissa’s article and then come back and weigh in with your thoughts: Neatness a Sign of Godliness–or Compulsion?

Don’t forget to enter the contest for Bryan’s book before Friday.