Blind to clutter
For reasons that are irrelevant to this article, I put a clothing rack in my living room last week. I put it there temporarily in the least obtrusive place. Still, the rack is tall and partially obstructs a window.
Stage 1: Completely annoyed
Once the rack was in place, the loss of natural light and the blocking of the window itself bothered me. In fact I was amazed at how annoyed I felt about something that was only going to be around for 4-5 days.
You may have experienced the same feeling with a stack of boxes in the corner, or a bag of your friend’s stuff that you set by the door until you see the friend again. You know it looks bad, but it’s only for a brief time. Right?
Stage 2: Blind to clutter
Now, its 4 days later and I don’t even notice the clothing rack.
How did this happen?
How did I go from being annoyed by it to not even noticing the clutter? Click To Tweet My house is pretty sparse, as you might imagine. We don’t have many superfluous objects. That I could get used to this big clothing rack so quickly is really surprising. It makes me wonder where else around the house have I become blind to clutter.
Whether you feel it or not, there are probably spots in your house where you have become blind to clutter.
New eyes
Here’s a trick to give yourself an objective view of each area in your home. Take a wide picture of a wall in your home or office. Go into another room and look at the picture. You’ll be amazed at what objects jump out at you from that photo– even though you walk by those things every day!
An objective eye could also be a good friend who has a gift for interior design. Ask them if they would come over to give you some ideas about what you could shift or replace or even get rid of to make a big difference in your room.
You can always hire an objective eye by bringing in a designer or even an organizer. (hint, hint)
#HouseGoals
If you love looking at pictures of beautiful interiors, it may help you to look at those for motivation here. See if you can find one element or system in the dreamy picture which you could incorporate in your room. Usually what’s different about picture in a magazine and a picture of our actual living space is the absence of clutter.
Take a look around your house. What is blocking your light? What has been blocking a pathway for far, FAR longer than you intended it to? A suitcase that isn’t unpacked yet? A box from something that came in the mail last month? Something you mean to give to someone but you keep forgetting?
Handle it
Take this opportunity to handle it. Take the stupid item to the car for your friend so you’ll HAVE it when you see them next time. Unpack the suitcase. Change the lightbulb.
Do you feel relief at the space you just reclaimed for the health of your home?
Tell me what you think. What are you struggling to declutter?
For some very tangible motivation, watch one of these:
- Tidy the living room with me which is Day 16
- Uncovering your dream home which is Day 31
videos from our #ClutterChallenge video series.
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Sincerely,