Getting rid of clutter is exhilarating, and the more clutter you have, the better it feels to get rid of it. Here’s a list of questions to inspire action:

• are your drawers so tightly packed that they’re difficult to open and shut?
•  do items often tumble out of a closet when you open the door?
• do you find it hard to get rid of things—even things you never use?
• do you collect things to give to other people or buy gifts without a specific recipient or occasion in mind?
•  are you too embarrassed to have guests visit?
• do you avoid using areas of your house or apartment, such as certain closets or your desk, because you’re too overwhelmed by the mess?
• do you feel that it’s not worth trying to tackle clutter until you can organize it perfectly?
• do you spend a lot of time looking for things—the tape measure, scissors, your passport?
• Have you converted “temporary” non-storage areas into permanent storage areas—keeping boxes in the hallway or piles on the dining room table for months?
• when you bring something into your house or apartment, do you find a specific place for it?
   does clutter create tension among members of your family?
• when you feel overwhelmed by your possessions, is your first impulse to buy some plastic bins, some closet gadgets, etc.?
•  if someone gives you a gift, do you feel you must keep it, even if you never use it?

 

From 2006 through 2014, as she wrote The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, Gretchen chronicled her thoughts, observations, and discoveries on The Happiness Project Blog.