How Much Stuff is Clutter?

Those attending my presentations often want to know how much stuff they can have and when does it become clutter.  And my politically correct answer is always, “That depends”. In fact it depends on lots of variables such as:   how much space do you have, are you happy with the way it looks, can you use what you have efficiently, can you move around safely in your spaces, can you find anything in one minute? 

It is obvious that someone with a 3000 sq. ft. house can have more stuff than someone living in a 1000 sq. ft. But all of us want to make the space that we have attractive,  functional and safe.

I suggest you take pictures of all of your spaces as they are now. You will be very surprised at what you see. We often cannot look at our things objectively because they have become common place or normal to us. Clutter can be disguised that way.  Pictures are a much more objective way to see things as they really appear.

Print the pictures if you can so you can spend time evaluating them. Then circle the areas in the prints that do not look good to you and make a plan to change them. You will be surprised at the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction you will have when it is done.