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Kitchen Table Kibitzing: Clutter [1]

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Date: 2023-02-27  

The Sunday New York Times article Depression Rooms’ and ‘Doom Piles’: Why Clearing the Clutter Can Feel Impossible writes about the link between mental health and messiness. I would argue that it doesn’t take a bout of depression to have problems with clutter. But the article does have some solid tips on how to declutter.

A messy home can also contribute to feelings of overwhelm, stress and shame, making you feel worse than you already do. And while decluttering will not cure your depression, it can give you a mood boost. If you are struggling and it feels impossible to keep your surroundings tidy, here are a few tips on how to clean strategically to optimize your energy and your space.

Focus on function, not aesthetics: “ five things tidying ,” the idea that there are only five things in any room: trash, dishes, laundry, things with a place and things without a place.

five things tidying Make your home work better for you: find new places to keep items you are often putting away.

Stop the problem before it starts: set a timer for five or ten minutes each day to keep up with clutter

Once your space is cleanish and relatively decluttered, try to take a few minutes each day to keep it that way. Ms. Davis recommended setting a timer for five or 10 minutes and getting as much taken care of as you can during that time. “I tell myself, I don’t have to finish this task, but I’m going to get up for eight minutes and do it,” she said. “I’m usually surprised at how much I can get done.” And remember, it’s normal to have some clutter in your home. The TV remote, your glasses, mail you need to sort, an art project you’re working on: “They are the signs of life in your home,” Ms. Brooks said.

Yet another NYT post focuses on how to cope with digital clutter. Digital Clutter Can Be Overwhelming. Here’s How to Clean Up.

While digital clutter may not be physical, like the “doom piles” and junk drawers in your home, the anxiety and distress it induces is real, said Kerry Lakey, a lecturer in psychology at Northumbria University in England, who studies behavior around digital data. Just as clutter in your home can cause stress, erode productivity and have a negative effect on your sense of well-being, digital clutter, she said, can bring up similar feelings.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/27/2155251/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-Clutter

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