Clutterers Anonymous Quiz

[Brownian Motion]

Do you have more possessions or items in your life than you can

handle comfortably?

Do you find it difficult to dispose of many things, even those you

haven't used in years?

Do you rent storage space to house items you never use?

Do you spend time looking for things that are hard to find because

of all the clutter?

Do you find it easier to drop something than to put it away, or to

wedge an object into an overcrowded drawer or closet rather than find

space for it?

Do you bring things into your house without establishing a place

for them?

Is your clutter causing problems in your relationships?

Are you embarrassed to have visitors because your home is never

presentable?

Do you hesitate sharing about this problem because you are ashamed

of your cluttering?

Are you constantly doing for others while your own home is out of

order?

Do you miss deadlines or abandon projects because you can't find

the paperwork or material to finish the work?

Do you sometimes get buried in details, making projects take much

longer than is really necessary?

Do you procrastinate about cleaning up because you believe you

must do it perfectly or you won't do it at all?

Are you easily side-tracked, moving from one project to another

without finishing any of them?

Do you have problems with time management and estimating how long

it takes to do things?

Do you believe there is all the time in the world to clean your

house, finish those projects, and read all those piles of old

magazines?

Do you use distractions to escape from your clutter?

Have you tried to clean up from time to time but find yourself

unable to stick with it?

Does the problem appear to be growing?

[Dan Gould]

A resounding NO.

I have the opposite problem, but that's just cuz I'm a Virgo.

[Bright Moments]

did our wives put you up to this?

[jazzbo]

Yes on many for me. It's mostly my wife's clutter, but it's all over.

USED to bug the hell out of me. Used to it now and it keeps my house from being overrun with houseguests!

Edited January 12, 2005 by jazzbo

[brownie]

A firm yes to half of the items. A shy no to the rest!

[maren]

YES to everything except:

Do you rent storage space to house items you never use?

Do you believe there is all the time in the world to clean your house, finish those projects, and read all those piles of old magazines?

SO, WHERE DO I SIGN UP For HELP???????!!!!!!!!!

[Jim R]

I'm guilty of owning more than I need (LP's and CD's), but I can't stand clutter. I think I do a better-than-average job of keeping my habitat in order, but it's a constant challenge.

I would never pay for storage space for things that I don't need somewhere close by. I'm also not into building/buying more cabinets/shelves/drawers/sheds/etc to store more stuff. I've seen the end result of that, which all too often is just the same old overflow.

Has anybody seen the TLC (The Learning Channel) show "Clean Sweep"? Peter Walsh, the Australian guy on there who is one of their "organizers" is pretty amazing. He talks some of the worst obsessive/compulsive collector types into submission by reasoning with them and explaining to them how and why they went wrong. He takes a lighthearted approach, often making people laugh at themselves as they're crying on camera because they know they have a problem.

[Rooster_Ties]

Yes to about 75% of the questions. No off-site storage for us, and we're not likely to ever get that far out of hand.

[Jim R]

Has anybody seen the TLC (The Learning Channel) show "Clean Sweep"?  Peter Walsh, the Australian guy on there who is one of their "organizers" is pretty amazing.  He talks some of the worst obsessive/compulsive collector types into submission by reasoning with them and explaining to them how and why they went wrong.  He takes a lighthearted approach, often making people laugh at themselves as they're crying on camera because they know they have a problem.

Man! I need to get cable and see this!

Humiliating people into giving up their stuff.

WOW!

---

Now playing: Wadada Leo Smith - Al-Madinah

Nah, I wouldn't use the term "humiliating". It's not one of these modern in-your-face reality shows. There's no live audience, it's all done very sensitively, and of course people know what they're getting into when they agree to do the show (two cluttered rooms are cleaned out, reorganized and redesigned, and a garage sale is held to turn some of their unnecessary stuff into cash). The crying is actually the type of emotion that comes out when you realize you're being healed. It's a fun show... the emotional content is relatively minor.

LOVE your avatar, btw.

[Noj]

I have WAY too much stuff, but it's all organized and I can find even the most obscure item. I'm also clean, my house is kept presentable.

Interesting topic, since I have been on a mission for several months to cut clutter down. I have thrown out all types of stuff, it has been quite liberating.

Just weeded out the cassette collection. Couldn't throw some away, I'm still attached.

[maren]

SO, WHERE DO I SIGN UP For HELP???????!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I found it: there really is a 12-step Clutterers Anonymous with a meeting a block from my job (where some friends already go to other meetings). Maybe it's time to check it out.

[alankin]

SO, WHERE DO I SIGN UP For HELP???????!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I found it: there really is a 12-step Clutterers Anonymous with a meeting a block from my job (where some friends already go to other meetings). Maybe it's time to check it out.

Now if I could only remember where I put that meeting notice!?

[maren]

SO, WHERE DO I SIGN UP For HELP???????!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I found it: there really is a 12-step Clutterers Anonymous with a meeting a block from my job (where some friends already go to other meetings). Maybe it's time to check it out.

Now if I could only remember where I put that meeting notice!?

That's why I love Google!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

A resounding NO.

I have the opposite problem, but that's just cuz I'm a Virgo.

boy i used to act like i my virgo sign but seem to have lost my lineage to the stars along the way and can answer yes to most here. but ask me to find something in my clutter and i will pull it out of the messy hat instantaneously.

i think there is some place in Texas you can go to become a born again virgo.

[Brad]

I don't have the problem but my wife does and it drives me friggin' nuts. She has clothes in four different rooms in the house. I can't tell you how many arguments we've had over it. My son is a slob too. It's a constant battle. She's always buying household supplies because they're on sale. It's fuckin ridiculous. I'm a neatnik, always have been. My desk at work is neat. It couldn't be any other way.

Don't get me goin' on this subject

[BeBop]

Since I'm homeless, I can confidently answer "no". On the other hand...

My name is BeBop and sometimes I start new threads at Organissimo without thoroughly researching whether or not existing threads adequately cover the intended topic. As a result I CREATE CLUTTER.

Sorry, off the soapbox now, Unk.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

my mother-in-law is paying someone $15.00 an hour to help clear her clutter. the woman will be a millionaire when it's all thru.

so why is it that i don't get squat when i go over to take out the trash!?

[Fran]

I don't have any clutter - only stuff.

But my wifes clutter is going to have to go because I need a lot more space.

(please don't show her this post)

[catesta]

Guilty.

My office is the main problem. I hold on to shit like it's made of gold.

[ejp626]

Yes to almost all above. Recently I did build two more bookcases -- one for books and one for CDs. I have managed to get all the CDs off the floor, so that was an accomplishment, but still stacks of paper everywhere.

The problem is that I do often go through old files or whatever, but I don't know what I will want later on. And it is often over a year since I used it, but now I need it (so the advice to throw out anything you don't use in a year isn't very helpful). The worst is that I started backing things up digitally, then discovered that the CD I burned didn't work (either the master or the backup). Well, fortunately I hadn't yet thrown out the material I was backing up, so this only further confirms my packrat tendencies.

I think I should declare my home office an archive and apply for preservation funds.

[alankin]

Hey, I was able to answer "no" on at least several of the questions!

[connoisseur series500]

Clutter is worse for those who have lived in the same house for years. Moving residences often forces people into making tough but necessary decisions regarding getting rid of stuff.

[connoisseur series500]

I often wonder what it was like before the Industrial Revolution when people likely weren't devoted to things as we are today.

Stuff seems so important to us today. Back then the focus was probably on people. One's entertainment was likely more people-oriented in those times. I guess we're poorer for it today.