Clutterhack

[darkemeralds]

A comment from karen_jk this morning has me thinking again about the analogies between weight loss and decluttering--specifically, can you "hack" your clutter the way John Walker claims you can hack your weight?



Looking back at my own massive decluttering project, I see a bunch of similarities between it and Walker's weight-loss story.

• Body::House
• Excess weight::Clutter
• Goal weight::Uncluttered house
• Calories::Possessions
• Eating::Acquisition
• Calorie Burn::Disposal

I see now that my solution to clutter was similar to Walker's weight hack in several important respects. I had to quantify the problem and design "negative feedback proportional controls" to get to a solution. That meant measuring my initial level of clutter, defining the desired level, and then decreasing the current level systematically and measurably. When the measurement declined, I was on the right track. When it went up, I had to apply additional controls.

The big difference is that with weight loss I only need to control the inputs--how much I eat--and my metabolism will manage the outputs--excess pounds (exercise is a minor factor in calorie burn for me); whereas with decluttering I had to take conscious physical action on both sides of the equation.

The decluttered areas of my house have remained persistently decluttered, but I'm not sure whether that's from a profound and permanent change in my perspective or because I've developed a set of feedback loops and controls that are unconscious. A little of each, I think. I do not think a change of perspective will result in permanent weight-management, but I think it will help me accept that I must fire up the artificial controls pretty much every day forever.

So yeah, I'd say there's a clutterhack, and now I'm curious to design it.

Comments

[alex_beecroft]

I'd like to know how to declutter a house occupied by four people when only one of them (me) wants to declutter. If I throw stuff out, the other three just buy more stuff to take up the space I've left.

[darkemeralds]

My sister has the same problem. The common areas of her house are a battleground.

I admit, it's not a problem that came into the equation for me, but I've watched my sister make significant strides over time with household rules, easy storage systems, and kind of a steady pressure against the mess-inertia that has driven it back bit by bit.

It's fair to say, though, that the moving out of her eldest and most heedlessly sloppy child probably made the biggest difference.

[ravurian]

I'm finding your posts about all this fascinating, not least because I recognise so much in them. My weight loss began after a period of decluttering and redecoration, as if, as you say, imposing control on my environment also permitted me to take control of myself. This is an immense revelation!

[darkemeralds]

That's a wonderful insight. Though the bulk of my decluttering took place almost two years ago, I think I can trace a direct line of conscious action and awareness from it to my weight-awakening this past October. Isn't it interesting to speculate on a causal relationship? Or at least on a shared cause for both changes?

Speaking for myself, the house decluttering was a major reality-based act, a removing of the scales from my eyes, so to speak: getting out of denial and looking at the problem, face-on. Absolutely nothing came of addressing psychological and emotional causes, and I finally got down to action, plain and simple.

There are a lot of similarities, and I do think that accomplishing the one has opened the way to the other. It's early yet to say much about the latest project, but if there really is a connection from the last one to this one, then I have a lot of hope for success.

Thanks for mentioning it. This really is a revelation!

[karen_jk]

Maybe this is a future book topic for you. :)

You were saying that you took pics of the clutter before and after. Did you post them? I'm so terribly ashamed of my clutter piles that I'd find it hard to post them. There's so much shame involved here.

It helps me a lot that you've gone through this process and are sending supportive thoughts my way. :)

[darkemeralds]

Shame is my middle name. Well, actually it's Elizabeth, but Shame is in there somewhere. I have been an entirely shame-based person all my life, as far back as I can remember. So I relate completely with what you're saying.

Yes, I posted quite a few before-and-afters in my Project Empty posts. You might want to page back to about Skip+40 to get to the early posts where most of the photos are. It was surprisingly liberating to take those pictures, and even more so to post them. The shame became fuel then, because I was extremely eager to post "after" pictures. (Use the tools you've got, right?)

I am so tired of the shame I feel about my weight that though it wasn't my primary conscious motivation for starting the Hacker's Diet, the prospect of not having it anymore has been a huge motivator. Sadly, a politically-based refusal to feel shame was not an avenue that was open to me. The Fat Acceptance movement, while having some value, was not more powerful than my personal shame, and the relief I've felt at walking away from it and towards actually losing the weight has been tremendous.

Shame is terribly toxic and has eaten a huge chunk of my life. I'm reclaiming what's left. Posting photos of my junk piles (with, mind you, intent to demolish them) was a significant step towards abating that hazardous material.

[darkemeralds]

Whoops--this was supposed to be a reply to karen_jk just below.

[karen_jk]

Once you declutter a chunk, how do you keep from having it fill right up again? My kitchen counter under the microwave, for example...I've tidied so many times and papers and etc always end up there in tall piles.

[darkemeralds]

Papers. Gah! I hate those things. I had to make several efforts to get rid of the stuff because it was a huge problem for me. I put all my bills on electronic pay. Virtually 100% of what comes in the mailbox goes directly to the recycling bin. I don't save receipts of any kind--but I don't have to. I insist on being communicated with electronically.

Limiting what was coming in was as important as getting rid of what was already there. I decided that I'd rather risk missing something or even being overcharged on a bill, than have papers in a pile anywhere in my house.

But I'll say this: an intractable and recurring source of clutter like the papers you describe may not be a good starting point. Solutions for that problem might occur to you as you go through more "fossilized" messes and create more lasting empty spaces. I think the experts say to at least put a basket or an in-box out, and make sure all papers at least wind up in that one, contained place if you really can't just recycle them.

[ranunculus]

I do "binge and purge" with paperwork. Electronic payment doesn't work due to the nature of my work (oh, and because I'm a bit of a fossil too). Currently I need to do the purge part...

On the other hand, I think de-cluttering and weight loss do have a link.

[darkemeralds]

My approach to paper is fairly extreme--I'll admit that! I'm on a paper fast. :D

The more I've thought about this matter all day long, the more convinced I'm becoming of a strong link between the two issues.