Become a Mean, Lean, De-Cluttering Machine!

It’s the silent killer. It sneaks casually into your house or office, creeps in and over all your loved possessions, suffocates them, and converts your space into a storage unit. What is it?

It’s clutter. When the current state of your home or office is dangling on your last nerve, it’s tempting to launch an all-out attack in the war against clutter.

Upon reaching the conclusion that is time to implement some Lean Concepts in your own home or office starting with Sorting and Sifting, you might want to consider your MBTI and your natural preferences for gathering data and making decisions. To effectively de-clutter, you must be able to 1) observe the details of the present and the reality of the clutter, (Extroverted Sensing), and 2) logically determine what to do with the clutter (Extroverted Thinking.)

For example, you begin the de-cluttering process with Sorting. The idea is that you sort items into different piles with labels such as “Keep”, “Donate” or “Sell”. This process requires mental functions of being “in the moment”, observing the item, perhaps noticing that you have more than one of the same item, for example, six backgammon sets in the closet. You must briefly examine the shirt, pair of shoes, statue, candle or piece of jewelry.

The next step in the process is using your Extroverted Thinking (logical analysis) to determine if you keep, donate or sell. Asking the right logical questions keeps the process moving forward.

· Do you have more than one of the item?
· Is there one in better condition?
· When is the last time you used/or wore it?
· Is it valuable?
· Does it have an expiration date?
· Is there a significant possibility you would use it the next year?
Key word is “significant” meaning “highly probable” using actual data. And so on.

Where we get into trouble is when our Intuiting functions start creeping into the activity. Our Intuiting functions help us brainstorm and see possibilities. Examples of this creep might be “We have eight checkerboards! I can see us having a Checkers party! Gosh wouldn’t that be great fun!”, “That 6 inch piece of curtain trim has a use. I can see it on a pillow or a Christmas stocking!” or even “I’m saving that five year old cork wreath for something. I just don’t know what yet but ideas come to me all the time!”
Other potential enemies of de-cluttering can be Introverted Sensing and Introverted Feeling. Introverted Sensing or “recalling the past” initiates the sentiment surrounding an object. Introverted Feeling is a person’s strong internal value system such as belief in efficiency, managing resources and money that may prevent someone from making a logical decision in the de-clutter process.

De-cluttering can not only be a productive exercise to create a more pleasing and efficient home or work environment but also a wonderful exercise to develop your mental functions. If either Extroverted Sensing or Extroverted Thinking is not one of your four most natural preferences in your MBTI toolbox, then try grief de-cluttering exercises to develop these functions.

To test yourself, go into a room. Get into the “moment”. Think about how easy or difficult it is to be “in the present”, manage details, examine, count. Does the very thought of schlogging through the clutter zap your energy or give you energy? Does answering the tough, logical questions tire you or empower you? Can you “shake off” the urge to brainstorm or relive the past so you can move forward with the de-cluttering process?

If your “mess” goes beyond clutter, perhaps to hoarding or over-buying, you might want to consider a professional organizer. But consider reframing de-cluttering as a personal development opportunity instead of a chore. A personal opportunity to discover, develop and achieve a personal environment that promotes relaxation as well as give you energy to meet your daily challenges and beyond.

Good luck!