Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - How to help someone get rid of their clutter?

cardinalduke · 04-17-2009, 05:02 PM

I have a system of organization that I like. The idea is to clear enough surfaces to where there is little to no clutter and free up space. If you minimize the time it takes to clean and make it a super easy job, then there is no reason not to do it. If you fall behind, no big deal. It would still take about the same amount of time even if you let it go for a month. Here is my approach:

Living Room or Office

For any and all 'small' things:

I like to use the transparent storage containers that you can buy at a local walmart or target. They are portable and hold a ton of stuff. I get a couple that are about 4 feet high and two feet wide with big compartments only. I divide my little stuff into 8-10 of these little compartments, just like labels in gmail. Don't be afraid to throw seemingly unrelated things together. Remember, you are removing all your clutter. It will be in one place, visible, and super easy to find. Make however many labels you want. To clean up periodically, everything gets thrown in there. It takes about five minutes at most, no matter how big the mess and another 5 minutes to throw trash out. It is much like taking the concept of a gym bag or back pack but making it accessible and transparent.

The result is that you have surfaces completely free and there is no clutter anywhere. You have more space to move around, it is easy to clean, everything is within reach and easy to move (they are on rollers) and you have no doubt about where something is. That simple concept solves a lot of problems.

Kitchen

I keep a pretty minimal set of dishes, utensils and culinary ware and keep it in the dishwasher. If you only have a few basic things, it is pretty easy to separate what is clean from what isn't. I run it as often as needed. The only work I ever do is to clean out pots and skillets and throw them in a cabinet. Dishes don't accumulate in the drain and there isn't crap anywhere. I'd be surprised if it ever took me more than 5 minutes to clean the entire kitchen. No work is ever created.

Bathroom

Keeping your crap spread out all over everything makes it impossible to clean. When you go on a trip, most people put all their stuff in an overnight kit. I just extend that concept to the bathroom. What I use frequently goes in a little plastic container that is open, visible and shaped like a shoebox. Everything else can go in a transparent storage container in some other area of the house.

I experimented with many different ideas and the above is most of what I came up with. It takes very little to no effort, time, work, or thought to make it a reality. I have a really tough time seeing how many/most people have so much trouble in this area. I see families argue about this type of thing all the time. They create so much unnecessary work that there is no wonder they get behind and the house tends to be messy. Husbands and wives fight about who will do the dishes. My answer is nobody!

04-17-2009, 05:02 PM	#23 (permalink)
cardinalduke Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 5	I have a system of organization that I like. The idea is to clear enough surfaces to where there is little to no clutter and free up space. If you minimize the time it takes to clean and make it a super easy job, then there is no reason not to do it. If you fall behind, no big deal. It would still take about the same amount of time even if you let it go for a month. Here is my approach: Living Room or Office For any and all 'small' things: I like to use the transparent storage containers that you can buy at a local walmart or target. They are portable and hold a ton of stuff. I get a couple that are about 4 feet high and two feet wide with big compartments only. I divide my little stuff into 8-10 of these little compartments, just like labels in gmail. Don't be afraid to throw seemingly unrelated things together. Remember, you are removing all your clutter. It will be in one place, visible, and super easy to find. Make however many labels you want. To clean up periodically, everything gets thrown in there. It takes about five minutes at most, no matter how big the mess and another 5 minutes to throw trash out. It is much like taking the concept of a gym bag or back pack but making it accessible and transparent. The result is that you have surfaces completely free and there is no clutter anywhere. You have more space to move around, it is easy to clean, everything is within reach and easy to move (they are on rollers) and you have no doubt about where something is. That simple concept solves a lot of problems. Kitchen I keep a pretty minimal set of dishes, utensils and culinary ware and keep it in the dishwasher. If you only have a few basic things, it is pretty easy to separate what is clean from what isn't. I run it as often as needed. The only work I ever do is to clean out pots and skillets and throw them in a cabinet. Dishes don't accumulate in the drain and there isn't crap anywhere. I'd be surprised if it ever took me more than 5 minutes to clean the entire kitchen. No work is ever created. Bathroom Keeping your crap spread out all over everything makes it impossible to clean. When you go on a trip, most people put all their stuff in an overnight kit. I just extend that concept to the bathroom. What I use frequently goes in a little plastic container that is open, visible and shaped like a shoebox. Everything else can go in a transparent storage container in some other area of the house. I experimented with many different ideas and the above is most of what I came up with. It takes very little to no effort, time, work, or thought to make it a reality. I have a really tough time seeing how many/most people have so much trouble in this area. I see families argue about this type of thing all the time. They create so much unnecessary work that there is no wonder they get behind and the house tends to be messy. Husbands and wives fight about who will do the dishes. My answer is nobody!