When I originally came up with this topic, looking at my too-full apartment, crammed with mismatched furniture, most of it not serving its true purpose (hello desk that was a shelf and a place for the kitty litter) my plan was to write about the anxiety of clutter and cleaning up, using Marie Kondo’s “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-up” as inspiration. However, as most lives are, mine got busier and this topic sat in my list of things to write about in the future and suddenly my life changed a little. I have moved. Very far away. Across an ocean one might say. And the person who might say that would be incredibly accurate. I have also learnt one very important thing about moving across the ocean, moving is expensive! So, in lieu of shipping our many things across the ocean, over the last few months my partner and I downgraded our incredibly packed and mis-matched 1-bedroom apartment into a few suitcases (well 8), hopped onto an airplane, and headed to the UK.
But weirdly, despite the lack of things, our new apartment is still in this weird state of untidiness. It’s that issue of things not having a place. Papers and pencils left on tables, tape measure on the floor, everything is just a little incomplete. In a way it feels exactly like our apartment before, yet with about 1/10th of the stuff.
In a New York Times article from January of 2019 on “The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter” the author discussed with Darby Saxbe, an assistant psychology professor at University of Southern California, the change in cortisol levels associated with clutter. In this study, they found that cortisol, a stress hormone, was increased in women who perceived their homes as cluttered or needing work. However those that didn’t feel or perceive this clutter had reduced stress. This clutter was self-defined, meaning those that identified their house as being cluttered were also those who felt the most stressed about it. Clutter can be defined as a collection of things lying around in an untidy state. With the exception of hoarding, in which there is an actually pictorial grading system, generally clutter is defined in the eye of the beholder. What some people see as nicknacks others might see as clutter.
In the same New York Times article the author discussed with Joseph Ferrari his paper (Ferrari & Roster, 2017) which connected procrastination and anxiety. In this paper he linked procrastination and clutter problems in all of the age groups studied, along with a decrease in life satisfaction and frustration in older adults with clutter problems.
As someone who would self-identify as a bit of a procrastinator and clutter-er this really hits home. Someone with anxiety may look around at the things on the table as a checklist – reminding them of the things they need to do, resulting in more stress, anxiety, and often inaction. People who have tendencies to hoard might have an anxious response to getting rid of stuff, the anxiety of needing something later, or saving money in the long run. However, as clutter is in the eye of the beholder, there is a wide variety in what people notice, what bothers them, and how they deal with the anxiety or stress of clutter.
As a completely non-expert in the study of clutter I have decided to make up, define, and describe 4 main types of clutter-ers/cleaners:
(1) Burst Cleaner
Although I have completely made up this term (I think) I am someone who I would self-describe as a “burst cleaner”. I often let clutter, untidiness, and chores start to pile up around me until I hit some sort of a switch in my brain and go full-out. This tends to involve alphabetizing books or movies, cleaning things that haven’t been cleaned in ages (the oven for instance), sorting through old files and papers, and generally very specific intense tidying. I have a hard time doing the day-to-day things, and tend to get bored, but these “bursts” come every once in a while, resulting in some extreme organization.
(2) The Untidy Cleaner
This is someone who will clean the house, but the house is generally unity. Some things have spots but aren’t in them and some things don’t have spots at all. The floor is scrubbed, bathrooms are cleaned, but there are things everywhere. This is also an interesting type of clutterer because the clutter may not be anxiety-producing for the person who owns the place, but may result in visitor anxiety.
(3) It’s Clean and Tidy Enough
I would describe this as probably what most people do (do they? maybe? I would guess probably?) which is they generally clean all the regular things, follow a list of tasks, and put most things away. There is still some clutter, but not a crazy amount and most things are cleaned all the time. I have a hard time with this one – I tend to be on one side or the other – I either hyper clean and tidy-up or I let everything sit until I go through that burst. It’s almost like an on-or-off switch for me and I’m a little jealous of those who don’t (although would your books be alphabetized – probably not).
(4) Clean and Tidy
I honestly don’t entirely get it. They seem to just clean things and put away things, and efficiently deal with clutter. What do you do with the cords, and the tape, and the piles of pens? How does everything have a place? Do you have a junk drawer? I always want to be one of these people – especially in my cleaning bursts, but I find it extremely difficult. I also would hazard a guess that the people who fall into this category are either very anxious or not anxious at all. The people who are obsessed with cleaning and the people who just don’t have the anxiety stopping them from getting things done (what’s that like I wonder?)
A good example of this is Monica from Friends, who I guess would fall into the extreme anxiety resulting in obsessive cleaning. However even Monica ended up having a giant secret closet filled with junk that she didn’t know what to deal with so maybe other people aren’t actually as clean and tidy as I think they are?
I think the moral of the story here is that generally having a tidy house will result in reduced feelings of anxiety. If everything is clean and put away in the proper place then generally you will feel better and less stressed about not doing housework and instead just enjoying your life. There’s something to be said about those of us who can maintain a clean and clutter-free house, but there is also nothing to be ashamed or stressed about if you find it difficult. Clutter is often self-defined and being comfortable in your house is important. So tidy up and clean, but maybe try to find some joy in the mess as well.
References:
Ferrari, J.R., Roster, C.A. Delaying Disposing: Examining the Relationship between Procrastination and Clutter across Generations. Curr Psychol 37, 426–431 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9679-4
Saxbe, Darby, and Rena L. Repetti. “For better or worse? Coregulation of couples’ cortisol levels and mood states.” Journal of personality and social psychology 98.1 (2010): 92.
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