Floating and static clutter

When you think about clutter you’ll probably consider the idea of items that are out of place, that block the way, that need to be taken care of. Of course, there is also mental clutter: beliefs that hold you back, that make you wonder about the right path forward, long-held convictions that may or may not serve you, and of course, self-doubt.

Either way, those things may all be important elements in your quest to let go of things that don’t serve you anymore. However, this whole consideration does not take one thing into account: the fact that kinds some clutter are more permanent than others, some are temporary, some only show up in particular situations, etc.

I have felt it necessary to write this post, simply because most people are not really aware that there are such differences. And because of that, they miss out on certain opportunities to assess such clutter and properly deal with it.

So: what is flowing and static clutter? Static clutter is the kind of stuff that just sits in a particular place and is rarely, if at all, touched or moved around. Think of this as most of what you would find in a garage or a loft, especially in the dark corners that are being blocked by other stuff. That said, this is certainly not limited to those spaces. Consider that blender that has been sitting in the back of your kitchen cupboard for 10 years and you can only get to it if you move the broken toaster that is stored in front of it… or the old deconstructed pieces of furniture in the loft that are hidden behind the plastic boxes with the Christmas decorations. Or the second row of books on the bookshelf. You can see what I mean, I’m sure.

Floating clutter is intrinsically different. Everything that does not have a proper home spot in your home has the potential to become floating clutter: the kind of item that is ALWAYS in the way and gets shifted to another temporary spot. And there it stays until it is, once more, in the way. Typical floating clutter are piles of magazines, dirty dishes, paperwork, clothing, toys, or tools. Some of those things may actually even have a home, but never get taken back because you need them too often to be bothered with returning them… and so they keep floating.

Floating and static clutter require a different approach: floating clutter becomes obvious when it is in the way, and that gives you ample opportunities to realise it’s in the way and to make a clear decision about it. Static clutter often is hidden from view, but it still weighs on your mind because you KNOW it’s there.

Floating clutter tends to include smaller items that tend to accumulate in drifts (like that basket in the hallway or a junk drawer), while static clutter tends to be bulky and therefore easily gets shoved out of the way to be forgotten (but never done with).

My advice is simple. Try to figure out if your clutter is floating or static and apply the following system:

• For floating items: either find a home spot for the item or consider letting it go. Finding a home spot might involve dethroning something less important and getting rid of that item rather than the floating clutter item.
  I recommend starting to do this whenever you realise that you have shifted an item more than once into another spot because it was in the way.
• For static items: figure out if you really need that and act accordingly. Helpful questions include “when have I last used this?”, “how likely am I to repair/use/remember this particular item?” and “do I really need this?”
  I recommend asking such questions whenever you come across an item that you were surprised to see (because you had forgotten about it or it had been hidden away).

Letting go of clutter is hard enough, but shuffling things around without these considerations makes it a whole lot more difficult. So why not make use of each and every opportunity to consider new choices and gradually get rid of what no longer serves you?

If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:

• Finding homes
• Make decluttering a habit
• Displacement activity