Hoarders - Season 1 - Tara
A&E / Screaming Flea Productions
Making Progress Against Clutter
by Jane Brody
Progress indeed. The task of decluttering has been helped greatly by “The Hoarder in You,” a very practical book by Dr. Robin Zasio, but it is far from over.
I still have too many clothes and shoes and face what another author, Barry Dennis, calls “The Chotchky Challenge” which is an expanded definition (and Anglicized spelling) of the Yiddish word “tchotchke,” which refers to a trinket or knickknack; he uses it to mean “stuff that gets out of control.”
These can be almost anything that takes up space, both mental and physical, that might better be occupied by something else or nothing at all.
Redefining Clutter
Life can be cluttered by more than household objects. The irritating extras can include activities that are no longer rewarding but are continued out of habit or guilt.
Perhaps it’s time for a more extended kind of housecleaning: electronic equipment that keeps us from living in the moment; people who are an emotional drain instead of a joy; piles of CDs and DVDs that are never watched or listened to; food that gets stuffed into an already satiated body; and unwanted or unloved gifts from people you nonetheless care about.
I still have too many clothes and shoes and face what another author, Barry Dennis, calls “The Chotchky Challenge” which is an expanded definition (and Anglicized spelling) of the Yiddish word “tchotchke,” which refers to a trinket or knickknack; he uses it to mean “stuff that gets out of control.”
These can be almost anything that takes up space, both mental and physical, that might better be occupied by something else or nothing at all.
They waste time and energy and cause stress and irritability by making it impossible to locate individual items in the clutter.
Redefining Clutter
Life can be cluttered by more than household objects. The irritating extras can include activities that are no longer rewarding but are continued out of habit or guilt.
Perhaps it’s time for a more extended kind of housecleaning: electronic equipment that keeps us from living in the moment; people who are an emotional drain instead of a joy; piles of CDs and DVDs that are never watched or listened to; food that gets stuffed into an already satiated body; and unwanted or unloved gifts from people you nonetheless care about.
Far too many plugged-in people now wander through life oblivious to their surroundings. They don’t see the trees, hear the birds, notice the people or even the traffic.
And while e-mail clearly has major advantages, when it takes the place of talking with people face to face or on the phone, something essentially human about communication is lost — a tone of voice, a laugh, a sigh, a grimace or a smile.
Helpful Hints to brighten the mind and lift the spirit by removing clutter of all kinds and descriptions.
1.) Think twice before buying anything.
2.) Clothes closet should never exceed 80 percent capacity. Gather everything you haven’t worn more than once in the last 12 months and give it away. Once this goal is achieved, for every new garment or pair of shoes you buy, an old one must go.
3.) To people who offering gifts that you neither want nor are likely to use, you might explain your desire to remain clutter free and suggest alternatives that take up no space, like a movie pass.
4.) Look through the pantry, freezer and cupboards, and discard all food that is likely to make you “clogged up, toxic, sluggish and fat.”
Helpful Hints to brighten the mind and lift the spirit by removing clutter of all kinds and descriptions.
1.) Think twice before buying anything.
2.) Clothes closet should never exceed 80 percent capacity. Gather everything you haven’t worn more than once in the last 12 months and give it away. Once this goal is achieved, for every new garment or pair of shoes you buy, an old one must go.
3.) To people who offering gifts that you neither want nor are likely to use, you might explain your desire to remain clutter free and suggest alternatives that take up no space, like a movie pass.
4.) Look through the pantry, freezer and cupboards, and discard all food that is likely to make you “clogged up, toxic, sluggish and fat.”
5.) Pay attention to the quality of the food you eat, and don’t eat more than your body really needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment