Wherever a common compulsion or addiction crops up, a 12 Step program of recovery tends to sprout alongside it. Wikipedia lists 35 organizations utilizing the 12 step program of recovery that originated in the late 1930s with Alcoholics Anonymous. Beyond alcohol and drugs, there are at least three 12-Step organizations that deal with food issues, seven with sex and then there is Clutterers Anonymous. The name sounds like a Saturday Night Live recovery spoof, but it’s a real organization with in-person, zoom and telephone meetings.
The Clutterers Anonymous website, clutterersanonymous.org, is full of useful information for people seeking to handle their addiction to stuff. There is a list of 25 excellent questions to help identify the true clutter-holic who may decide to seek help with their addiction if life has truly become unmanageable. The questions range from things like, “Do you find even simple chores insurmountable,” to “Do you believe there is all the time in the world to clean your house and read all the magazines that have piled up?”
Even if you don’t feel you are a hoarder or have a clutter addiction, these questions are interesting to ponder. Perhaps there is one area where you do have an issue with clutter; these questions can help you think through how it might be affecting your happiness and productivity.
Other excellent resources on the website are the organization’s definition of clutter, literature available on the addiction, how to find a meeting near you or on Zoom, etc. One of my favorite resources they offer is a list of tools to navigate clutter and the emotions and obsessions that cause people to collect a problematic amount of stuff.
Some of the tools are things you can use even without joining the organization or attending meetings. An easy one is “telephone.” Make calls to friends or family members who are patient and can encourage you to talk about your feelings when you try to get rid of clutter or who you can talk to before you make that next unnecessary purchase or pick up something you don’t need on the side of the road just because it has a “Free” sign on it. These should be people who are supportive, kind and know how to set boundaries. Which of your friends could you count on to talk you out of getting that fifth cat? Who would reliably discourage you from trolling garage sales?
Writing is another tool you can use to explore your feelings around clutter. Meditation is excellent also. Taking quiet time regularly every day helps us calm our emotions and the mental chatter that can overwhelm us to the point that we feel the need to engage in addictive behavior as an escape. Shopping and collecting are two of the addictive behaviors that lead to too much clutter.
The tools of Earmarking, Streamlining and Focusing are three of my favorites for clutterers. Clutterers Anonymous defines Earmarking as having a place for something and putting it back every time. I just call it “Putting Things Back,” and when done without fail, you can keep a darn tidy house and never misplace your phone, wallet or keys. Focusing is another tool that sounds so simple but is not easy. Taking one thing at a time prevents chores and possessions from backing up into big amorphous stacks of stuff. We focus on the task at hand to completion.
Streamlining is defined as honoring what we already own and keeping only things that are useful and for which you have the space. When we collect more than we need, it is harder to appreciate what we already have. In other 12-step programs this tool is called “Gratitude,” and something you can do to make Streamlining easier is to make a gratitude list each day. For clutterers, listing specific things they actually used and appreciated that day is most effective.
Affirmations—positive statements we make to ourselves—can seem a little 1990s woo-woo, but they can be effective. Often happiness is just a matter of perspective. The website gives 25 solid affirmations you can use to begin to change your attitude and compulsions surrounding toward your clutter. Who can’t benefit from a statement like, “I am entitled to surroundings of beauty, harmony, order and serenity”?
Notice that all of these tools are free. There are no recommendations for psychoanalysis or expensive workshops or offers to invest in special containers. You won’t see “hire a professional organizer” here. Free sounds better now more than ever.
Still, we tend not to value what we don’t pay for. If you end up using the resources and find them helpful, consider sending a donation to the organization as part of your gratitude practice. Information on how to contribute is on the website.