I work out of an office. Most days, it’s just me. However, from time to time, I host a few others.
For that reason, I keep a set of four coffee mugs around. I drink coffee most of the day when I’m alone. And if there’s a meeting happening, I’m certainly brewing a fresh pot for anyone who wants it.
Yesterday, I noticed something out of the ordinary, despite working alone all week, all four of the coffee mugs were out of the cabinet.
One was next to me with fresh coffee, two were dirty in the sink, and the fourth was sitting on the counter, next to the sink.
It has been a couple busy days—the first week of the Uncluttered Course always requires a significant amount of my energy. And we just started up this Tuesday. Because my days have been full, I’ve fallen into a common trap:
I didn’t need to wash my coffee mug because there was a clean one still in the cabinet, so I just left it out dirty.
We do this all the time.
When life is not busy, or my attention is not divided, it only takes a few short seconds to hand wash my coffee mug and put it away before I leave the office. So I often do.
But during this busy week, when my attention was divided, and there were other things on my agenda, it became too easy to leave the cleaning task undone—even though it would have only taken a few seconds.
This is how our excess possessions lead to a messy home. When we have more than we need, there is less incentive to clean up along the way. And when our attention is pulled from one thing to another, this excess gets left out all too often.
Much of the mess in our home is a result of having too much stuff.
Just think of the different ways this plays out in our homes:
• We leave dirty dishes in our sink because we can grab a new one from the cabinet.
• We don’t clean our pots and pans or spatulas because it’s easy to grab a different one.
• We leave out the blanket in the living room because there’s another one in the bedroom.
• Our dirty clothes piles grow taller and taller as long as there’s something clean to wear in the closet.
• Our kids leave their toys out, all over the house, because there’s always another one they haven’t played with yet.
• Rubber bands and pens and paper clips collect in our junk drawer—way more than we’ll ever use.
• Coats gather by the backdoor because everyone in the house is wearing a different one today.
• Books and magazines and newspapers pile up on our counter because there’s always a new one to read.
• Phone charger cords can be seen in every room of the house because there’s always another one in the room we are heading to.
• Our linen closet shelves fill up with towels and sheets because there are so many that rarely get used.
• And the list goes on and on: tools, board games, yarn, shoes, sporting equipment, DVDs, video game supplies, purses…
For me, in this specific scenario, it didn’t take long to wash and dry my coffee mugs and put them back where they belong—eliminating the small mess.
But in our homes, it’s a different story.
The average American home has over 300,000 items inside of it. That’s a whole lot of excess… and a lot of mess because of it.
If your house is messy all the time, maybe you’ve got too much stuff inside it. Owning less will help you keep it clean, among other benefits.
Do you count fabric by the yard or by the scrap ? Lol
I don’t like to use disposable plates. I have 14 plates and we have a monthly dinner group. We use them all and wash them and visit afterwards. This isn’t clutter for me. Paperwork and junk mail gets me though!
Couldn’t agree more, we all do it. Since the kids have left home, I’m going back and re-evaluating what we need. We dont need 10 mugs or 6 plates, it creates mess and more washing up. Started last week and already things are easier to clean, work surfaces are wiped down in a couple of minutes and I feel calmer x
Absolutely, efforts well earned and rewarded, Sharon, and I do enjoy every minutes of it, now my 3 kids are back only for the Holidays!
We buy souvenir mugs on our trips, instead of two this past trip my husband purchased one. Next trip I’ll pick out one.?
I don’t consider that clutter! Those are collectibles and it’s a cute hobby that you and your hubby share!
My daughter, who joined the military after graduating from high school, has been overseas for 4 years. During that time she has done a lot of traveling! She actually turned me onto the idea of getting ONE cute magnet from each place I visit. I purchased a magnetic wall decoration that I use to show them off in one place! ;)
You are so right we don’t use 1/4 of what we have, it is clutter. Hard to part even tho we don’t use it.
A few years ago, while visiting my sister, I helped my adult nephew sort his clothes. I suggested he only keep two or three ripped, stained T shirts and use the rest for rags, repair projects or give them to a shelter. Now my sister says he has a big pile of worn out clothes and underwear. I suggested cutting out rectangles to fit a mop head.
Joshua, first of all I need to ask how you got into my house!!!????. Wow… that article certainly did convict me of all the “stuff” I have and need to get rid of!! I always joke that I am a boarderline hoarder … I can’t throw magazines away!!!! And I don’t know what to do with them… that’s just one of my issues, if I can get rid of them and not trash them I believe that would be a great beginning for me to get a handle on the other stuff!!! Thank you for sharing this article!!! Now get out of my house???
Join your neighborhood Buy Nothing group if you have one! That’s been the #1 way for me to get rid of extra stuff– people will gratefully take the most random stuff, and it’s a lot easier for me to part with things when I know they’re going to be used, not end up being trashed behind the Goodwill. And as a bonus, you can borrow things from other members, which means you won’t feel like you need to buy a rarely used tool, etc.
I am the same way. Hate to throw perfectly fine items away. I did a clean out garage sale a year ago after cleaning house and garage. It was all free. I was amazed and happy that almost all was gone.
Your response made my day and put a smile on my face ?
Joshua, of all the posts I read from you whether via Becoming Minimalist or No Sidebar, this was THE BEST ONE YET! It answered the questions behind the clutter as well as what was the clutter situation. It also showed the logic and the fix to the whole situation, and was not long-winded in the process. Very factual and motivating.
I declutter every single day in whatever I touch, asking ‘Why do I have this?” and “Do I really need this?” as well as in some cases “When was the last time I used this?”
Blessings for your site and your good, common sense on all things clutter-y. =D
This might be a little odd, but minimalism also affects my creativity. I love photography, and often find taking pictures that are very simple and minimal are often more beautiful and relaxing to look at. Thank you!
Todd, I couldn’t agree more! I have a FB friend who is a master photographer and posts one photo on FB each day. Often, it is of nature and always a very serene scene. I find it extremely calming.
Hi Angela,
You are not alone and you are not “Odd”. I just moved into a new apartment with a dishwasher but don’t use it either. Washing dishes with the feel of the water and suds is a form of meditation, and you can control your water usage at the same time.
I got a small coffee pot named Capresso and it comes with a reusable wire filter basket. For those of you who have a pot that requires a filter they have reusable cloth and hemp filters too.
This is the very reason when given new dishes, I took out only 3 of each.
Now if I could only get my son to clean up after himself.
Hi Joshua,
I’ve been a follower now for a couple of years and really enjoy your posts. They have challenged me to think, but more importantly, to act. It’s been truly life changing.
Here’s my “challenge” back to you: taking the time to wash that cup is a form of mental decluttering; a rote task to engage in after all that brain work. You recently featured Meg Holstein on your site and she wrote about a book called “Rest: Why you get more done when you work less.” I am one chapter in and it’s powerful and profound. Sometimes, on really intense workdays, I save all my dirty dishes (gasp!) and wash them at the end of the day, focusing on the sound of the water, the smell of the detergent, and the satisfaction of literally seeing a task accomplished (which can be hard to see in virtual world work.) I am resting my brain and decluttering my mind through this simple act. I wouldn’t dare do this on a daily basis but every now and then it’s a sanity-saver. :)
Here’s to life-long learning and growth! Thanks for your guidance.
So very true. Your words of advice are always so full of wisdom snd useful.
Good habit building, been trying with my kitchen to keep counter de cluttered and on top of dishes. Rinse my coffee mug every time and my huge tea mug. Each time I look I manage to move more off counters, almost all free space now. At same time I am instilling same habits jnto my 2 grandkids, 7 and 5 living with me. I am struggling to climb out from under years of excess shopping including my mother’s clutter after she passed. It’s easier to keep good habits cleaning up behind myself but will take years to de clutter.
Every evening I watch minimalists videos on tv while sorting stuff. It’s helping keep my on the right path.
I needed to read this today!! We have so many coffee cups! My husband has so many cups from his organization & I can’t get rid of them. We even have boxes of them downstairs. I have so much stuff from my business as well that I need to do something with too!
Could you donate anything to a shelter or the like?
Brenda, There are many great organizations where you could donate some of your “excess” items. I did this and found it not only liberating; but, also very gratifying, knowing my “excess” was going to help others who have a genuine need.
Good lord: I sit here with dishes all over the place since I haven’t done them in three days, and I said just the other day, “I need to buy more spoons and forks.” Ummm, NO, I need to keep up with the damn dishes.
Excellent eye opener! Love it.
Joshua… you don’t use a keurig instead of a pot? It’s so much easier!!
No, I much prefer freshhly-brewed coffee. And don’t get me started on the amount of clutter from those things :)
Have you considered a pour over? I’ve been doing pour overs recently, and they turn out quite well.
Agree with you 100% on the coffee thing! I like a fresh brewed pot! And it is much more affordable too—- and don’t get ME started on the landfill waste from the pods!
Not to mention the amount of waste from the little plastic cartons! There are reusable ones, but I imagine most people use the disposable ones.
I was so happy when mine broke! I barely drink coffee! Only reason I had it is because we live in beautiful SoCal and get a lot of visitors from the Midwest & I wanted to have coffee to offer them! What a people pleaser! So yes! I was so relieved when ours broke!
I really like this site. Every article I read brings some new small piece of joy and common sense to me. The coffee mugs is a difficult one for me. Mine are all hand made by a different artisan. Reading this had made me, once again, reassess my coffee mug situation. And my linen closet. And my coat closet.
Thank you for the continual insite.
As usual, your post comes at a perfect time…I’m in the middle of having new floors installed so my “stuff” is everywhere. Mostly out in the garage and on the back patio. I thought I was doing a fairly good job of decluttering and minimizing things(I’ve been at it for three years)until I had to move it all out of the house. My goal is to only move half of it back into the house.
Hi Christy,
This is awesome. During a 3 year period I moved about 4 times. Each time I had to re-evaluate whether I wanted/needed something. That’s the thing about moving stuff out of your place. You realize how much stuff you actually have. It’s usually more than what you thought, and then can’t believe all that fit in that small space. =)
Good luck!
Thanks for the checklist, I am a check list nerd and enjoyed reading over them.
I like the gentle reminder and was wondering why things where getting messy again. I have began to get busy weeks again with things picking up like crazy in work, looks like 2020 needs to be zoned again.
Great post as usual Joshua.
Most of my mugs have been gifted to me over the years.
I did donate several some time ago. The cupboard had too many.
One thing I don’t do though, is wash mugs or anything else individually. It seems wasteful to me. Got rid of my dishwasher many years ago, I prefer to hand wash dishes, I know, odd woman!
When it was two of us, only four plates. That way, no more can be dirty, right. Seen these homes with stacked dirty dishes. Don’t have so many.
Now, just me, I only own two plates ?
Nicely put. Recently I started rinsing my coffee cup out and just using it for water during the rest of the day.
Thank you Joshua for your posts, and now the free book you emailed. I will read and get going. I have trouble with the start, and then consistent follow through. I am excited about the end game and appreciate your posts as they refocus me.
Thank you!
This was good food for thought (as usual). I can read this article get motivated and all is good. My problem is consistency. I practice minimizing things at home. Well, I work on it. :) I think I need to practice minimizing at my work office. My office has too much STUFF. Thanks for posting some of the most thought provoking and helpful articles I’ve read. These articles keep me focused on making the changes that I know will help me in the long run.
I drink tea and have a favourite mug which gets washed for my two cups of tea a day so that part is handled!
Just got to work on the other clutter items to decide not to have more than what I need or use or love.
We had a year when we were living away from home and were living pretty minimalist for that reason. Let me tell you, when you need a clean pot/dish/mug when you’re busy and you have to wash it before you can use it, that is a huge hassle. Much more so than being able to run the dishwasher once a day or not having to move things from a pot into another vessel to store in the refrigerator. It made me really appreciate having duplicates.
Compared to most, my home is stark. It does not look stark because I have some very large house plants. There is no junk, no laundry, no Knick knacks or paddy whacks on level surfaces. One thing I do have is a box in my closet. It is the box for items to go to the thrift store. I do not have to do a purge because things are removed on an ongoing basis. My family know I do not want gifts so they give me consumables that I enjoy. Others have yard sales where tables are piled high with stuff. I have never had a yard sale because I never have enough items at one time to fill even one table. It just goes to the thrift store.
Peggy,
I aspire to become dedicated like you. I need to work harder at it. Thanks
Must be nice lol
I cannot agree more. My daughter and I just split households as I moved into a 1 bedroom apartment. I took her surplus dishes, etc, and chose to wait before buying more. My newly developed minimalist muscles said it would be enough. And it was! Why do I need a whole set of forks and spoons? I worried about silly things like not having a trash can in every room, only to realize that the apartment is only 20 paces long. And I can use the exercise. LOL. Thanks for keeping this in our minds. It is important to realize “I have everything I need.”
My favorite part of the Uncluttered course was the Kitchen. I did what you said and cleared my counters. I was dubious. I have come to love it. When I have all that clear space, I luxuriate in it! I don’t mind putting my appliances away either. Now I just need to continue to reduce my other 300,000 things!
Isn’t it wonderful having clear counters? I still have a microwave and coffee pot on the counter, and the coffee pot might be going. The only other thing is a drying mat beside the sink. It’s so much easier to clean.
I couldn’t agree more with this post. I make this same case for eliminating duplicates all the time. I have one pair of sunglasses. They’ve lasted several years without damage or loss. I always know where they are. And as the person with the smallest wardrobe in our home, I have the least laundry and it’s easier for me to put away. Such a good read!
I love these posts. I am now struggling with toys again, this time as a grandmother. I am thinking of only keeping bigger items like the play kitchen and tool station. Help! I can use ideas. As I read this, I am wondering when I will use my 10 plus casserole dishes at one time!