Feel good, declutter your life

By Heather Warlick

Published: November 15, 2008

What’s your clutter personality? In her new book, "The Clutter Clinic: Organise Your Home in Seven Days,” Romaine Lowery identifies nine different personality types she finds in her decluttering clients. Unless you’re a perfectionist who has no clutter in your home, you may find a piece of yourself in one (or a few) of these types:

→The kitten has a kitchen that’s cute and cuddly. Her home looks organized, but all the clutter lives behind closed drawers.

→The squirrel is a hopeless hoarder, squirreling away things in case they "come in handy” one day.

→The bunny is too busy trying to catch up on sleep, mopping up baby puke and wiping bottoms to have time for organizing her home.

→The hamster feels stuck on the family treadmill, multitasking between work, shopping, cooking, children and her husband.

→The bat is the single-career girl who has trouble fitting in the menial tasks of washing clothes and putting away the dishes because life is too much of a social whirl.

→The sloth is a bit on the lazy side. She is content with a sloppy house and only makes the effort to tidy up if company is coming over.

→The magpie loves collecting glittery, girly things. She’s a shopping addict (a shaddict) with wardrobes stuffed with clothes and shoes she’s forgotten she owns.

→The polar bear lives alone and rarely has people over, so what’s the use? She needs to realize that when she tidies up, it’s not for someone else — it’s for her.

→The hedgehog is only cluttered some of the time. During winter, she nests in her home, snuggled warmly amid the clutter. When the sun’s spring rays break through, she’s shocked to find her home a cluttered mess.

Now that you’ve determined your clutter personality, it’s time to downsize the clutter and simplify your life. That’s never easy, but don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you throw away all that stuff.

Box it all up and donate it. I just did this with my closet. If I hadn’t worn it for one year, it’s now in one of several large bags waiting to be delivered to a local charity. Many charities will take your castoffs and give them to those in need.

’Tis the season for giving, right? You’ll feel great decluttering your life and doing something good for others.

Your thoughts!