I don’t rant very often. In fact the last time I ranted was here in December 2008. I feel another rant coming on. It’s been building. So stand back!
We seem to be inundated these days with exhortations from neatness mavens to declutter and organize our lives for a happier and better tomorrow. The implication seems to be that a cluttered existence is a sign of failing. There’s a whiff of Puritanism to all this. We are told that being cluttered wastes time, hinders our productivity, makes us tired, and no doubt has a detrimental effect on our sex lives. But where’s all the evidence for this? I’ve never seen any authoritative studies that support the claims made by the decluttering brigade.
I’ll admit that my office space is pretty messy. At times I’ve listened to the siren calls of the “tidy” people. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be happier and more productive? But after a few weeks of tidiness things are pretty much back where they started. I used to feel badly about this. It seemed as if I failed somehow to be a productive and useful member of society.
On sober reflection, I realized that being a neatness freak didn’t make me happier. If anything, it made me even more neurotic. “Oh my god! I forgot to clean off my desk at the end of the day!” Despite mounds of books and papers and DVDs scattered about my office, I still produce good stuff. I’m happy. My clients love my work. I love my work. And most importantly, I’ve accepted the fact that being cluttered is part of who I am and how I go about creating.
Let’s leave decluttering for the accountants, surgeons, pilots, and anyone else we expect at least to appear organized and in charge. As for the rest of us cluttered souls, let’s unite in our messiness and proudly proclaim to the naturally tidy, “Yes, we can’t!”
Photo by iStockphoto
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ME TOO!!! I love it!!! After a rather hectic morning … and as I search for the surface of my desk buried under piles of papers, CDs, and files, this entry made me laugh out loud. What a relief …. I can now sit back and happily bask in my messiness. Thank you!
@Amanda Kuhnert. Glad I could bring you a little relief!
Thanks, Dan, for this funny take on clutter. I do feel better once it’s sorted out but the clutter returns within a week or so. I, too, have accepted that I must like clutter or I wouldn’t have so much of it.
I find that on FaceBook especially, there are self promoting gurus of everything offering me opportunities to be just like them. I am so going to declutter my facebook account
Yvonne
@Yvonne Charneskey. Isn’t acceptance a wonderful thing! So liberating!
Hi Dan! ME TOO!! I’m an “Everything Out” person, according to a class I took once called How To Declutter Your Desk And Your Life or something like that. I like to see little piles (I do know what’s in each pile, honest!) set out around me. The clue for me is the short-term success of any attempt to achieve that spartan bare-desk look (like when company is expected – wouldn’t want anybody to know that this is actually how I live, right?) Those little piles start creeping back within days, right where they belong.
Love your site,
Toodles,
C.
@Carolyn Thomas. So many of us are closet clutterers. Isn’t it great to stand up and be counted!
Oh, Dan–rant away! Love the post – love the artwork!
@cj madigan. Thanks, cj!
My office isn’t REALLY cluttered. Not really. Well, just a little bit. But what else are horizontal surfaces for?
@Mim Eisenberg. I think being just a little bit cluttered allows you into the club
Dan, I drank in your rant like ice water on a scorching day. So refreshing! And you, my friend, are accordingly cool.
@Loureen Murphy. Hey, that’s so cool!
I can be organized without being neat.
Rant on!
The rub is this–my mate and I share the same work space and she is a neat freak!
Organized chaos is my style.
Thanks for your continuing commentaries.
David
@David Comer. Thanks for encouraging me to rant! Glad you enjoyed this one and my other posts.
AAAMMMEEEEENNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s not clutter – it’s ABUNDANCE!
@Pattie. Yes, absolutely! Let’s hear it for abundance!
Just spent a morning attempting to de-clutter when I received your welcome coments. Well, I tried, but didn’t make much headway — thanks for letting me off the hook!
@June Foy. Anytime!
….I am a professional stager as well as a personal historian…some people do have serious issues with organization and need professional help….most of us, however, can still be effective and function well with a little clutter or assistance…occasionally, I watch cable t.v. shows that depict homes being decluttered…as a person who values the past, I cringe as I watch these junkies declutter all their clients precious memories right into the dumpster ….
@Gail Evans. Thanks for your comments, Gail. You make a valid point.
I too cringe as I watch these shows rid people of their memories and past. I also find myself cringing at people who throw out anything that does not pertain to the here and now…. What kind of legacy will some of these ” neat freaks” have to share with future generations. I frankly think that the most creative people are not necessarily the most traditionally organized…. they seem to have their own organizational style….
@Carol Mori. A point well taken!
Dan – I just decluttered my office yesterday, and while I do feel better now, I confess I am powerless against the creeping return of “piles” as Carolyn notes. I like her term, rather than a messy person I will now refer to myself as an “everything out” person. (Maybe I’d better check that with my business partner and office mate first!)
I follow your blog and appreciate a good rant every now and then! Carry on!
@Kristi Woodworth. Thanks, Kristi. I relate to the “everything out” concept as well.
OK, I guess I’ll be the odd woman out here. Being a full-time personal historian who works at home, I’m sure that our clients have more confidence in our professional abilities when they come into a clean and organized workspace, especially when they are leaving their precious photos and memorabilia with us. I would be very nervous leaving MY cherished things with someone else who was cluttered or disorganized. In fact, we once took some client’s 16-mm film to a local retail business for conversion, only to turn around and leave because the place was a mess (with a dog running around, no less.) We just couldn’t trust that they would care properly for our client’s films.
As for me, I cannot function in a cluttered space. Not that I think I’m some sort of superior person because of it; on the contrary I think it is because my brain is so reckless. If my space is cluttered and messy, I feel more anxiety and can’t think straight.
Alison, the me that my clients see is tidy and uncluttered — they never come to my organically organized home office. My house insurance does not cover liability related to business activities and I won’t take a chance on being hit with a liability suit because a client falls down my stairs.
My clients trust me with their cherished things because of the professionalism and organization I display in my work. They don’t need to see how I organize my office to know that I will take care of their precious mementoes.
You and I have different styles, and that’s fine. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that “cluttered” is synonymous with unclean or disorganized.
p.s. I generally feel very comfortable in businesses with dogs in residence.
@ Alison Taylor. Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Alison. Given your need for a clutter free environment, it makes perfect sense that you would feel uneasy entrusting treasured mementos to someone you perceive to be messy and disorganized.
As a professional personal historian I always present myself in a neat and business-like manner. I’m noted for delivering a first-rate product. This combined with my track record is why clients hire me – not how neat I keep my desk.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m highly organized, careful, and ultra responsible. So being messy isn’t always a sign of incompetence or irresponsibility.
@Pattie Whitehouse. Well said, Pattie!
If anyone wants a good example of being cluttered and yet highly organized, look at God’s creation!