Typically, clutter is the result from objects being without a use or without a home. And that is where S.P.A.C.E. comes in to help eliminate things we don’t need and to assign a home to the things that we do.
But sometimes what appears to be clutter in a home isn’t actually, truly clutter at all. It’s mess. It’s the result of things we love, use, and/or need being somewhere other than their assigned home.
Waystations for objects often make sense: a damp sweater needs to dry on a clothing rack, a dirty dish spends some time in the sink until the dishwasher is ready to be reloaded, a baking dish that needs to be returned to a friend temporarily lives on the kitchen counter.
But before we know it, we get distracted, or we get busy, or we get avoidant, and those objects-in-transit become semi-permanent fixtures, affecting the way our home looks, feels, and functions. A self-professed slob, Dana K. White calls this mess “procrasticlutter,” since it’s only clutter because we’re procrastinating.
Procrasticlutter is insidious because when a few surfaces of our homes are cluttered by these messes, other areas seem to follow suit-- a pile of clean clothes remains unfolded in a basket on the floor, a stack of mail remain unread on the counter, a straggle of shoes remain in a heap by the door, a suitcase from a trip last month remains at the foot of the bed. At what point do we just start closing the door on that overwhelming mess, literally or figuratively, letting it grow and multiply in the shadows?
The upside of procrasticlutter is that moment we handle it, it ceases to be clutter. We don’t need to make decisions, plans, or arrangements. We just need to put our things where they belong.
So if I’m ever overwhelmed with the state of my home, I’ll tackle the procrasticlutter first. Admittedly, I have to deal with this a lot less frequently since I started respecting stuff curfew. But when I do need to address procrasticlutter, it gives me a sense of accomplishment and calm, which can propel me to tackle more involved decluttering, or move on with my life and do something else worth doing.
Alright, off to go to put away the laundry...