10 Commandments of Clutter

In our decor8 Interview we posted recently, the question came up about the behaviors that guide you when you tackle an organizing project.

We came up with such guidelines, allow us to also present them here.

The 10 Commandments of Clutter:

1. Thou shall not directly worship the Container Store Goddess.  The purity of organizing products does not preclude you from clearing your clutter, first.
2. The Organizing “Secret” is no secret at all; keepith space available brings you untold fortune.
3. Thou shall not commit adultery (however, ‘tis honorable to ask for organizing helpith during Spring Fling.)
4. Devote thy days to mess maintenance, but thou nights to wine and dine.
5. Honor thy elders. Thou shall not nag if items are in wrong place; put them back without saying anythingth.
6. Getting thyself organized is easier then staying organized.
7. Avoidith keeping clutter as a yardstick of thy achievements. Thou must not give false evidence against thy neighbor.
8. Stop chasing thy paper chase; lose thy “to file” box and handle immediately by putting it away in its rightful place.
9. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods. Thy grass may be greener around thy neighbor’s lawn mover shed, but inside may be a dark surprise.
10. Eat, drink and be merry. Organizing thyself is reflective, but should be funneth.

• Check out the entire interview by reading Decor8 and our mention OrganizingLA - a great blog, decor8 from our press kit (PDF).

Do you have any personal "commandments of clutter" to share with fellow readers?

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Comments

[Debbie Jordan Kravitz]

I especially like your 10th commandment. So many people dread organizing and view it as just another boring chore-but it CAN be fun if you just give it a chance.

In terms of book clutter, I would add "If your reference material is outdated or can easily be found online, let the books go. And if you don't plan to re-read a book, pass it along or trade it in."

Also,"if you are having difficulty purging items that are still worthwhile, find a charity that accepts donations." It's much easier to let go of something if you know it will help someone else out, versus ending up in a landfill somewhere.

(Not as eloquently put as YOUR commandments, but you get the idea!!)

Great post!

Debbie

[Jamie]

I just stumbled across your site and I LOVE it! Thanks...

[Megan @ Disorder2Order]

Awesome John! I especially like #4!

[Dawn]

Love the concept! Love #8...I fall victim to this quite often. Sharing your commandments with friends!

[rita alva]

i am a horder and cant seem to get rid of stuff how do i brake the cycle of pat ratting