Are You a Clutterer?
By Barrington H. Brennen, September 9, 2026
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Are you a clutterer, or do you know someone who
is one? A clutterer is a person who struggles to
get rid of unneeded possessions, leading to an
accumulation of items that crowd their living
space and daily life. Are there things you
have not used or cannot use that are just
cluttering the place? If so, you are
a clutterer.
Just for fun, I am going to share some words
that also mean clutter: chaos, confusedness,
confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder,
disorderliness, disorganization, jumble, mess,
mixed-up, and topsy-turviness. Wow. Do any of
thesewords describe you?
How do you know if you are a clutterer? Here
are some questions to think about:
-
Do you have more possessions or items in your
life than you can handle comfortably?
-
Do you find it difficult to dispose of many
things, even those you haven't used in years?
-
Do you rent storage spaces to house items you
never use?
-
Do you spend time looking for things that are
hard to find because of all the clutter?
-
Do you find it easier to drop something than to
put it away, or to wedge an object into an
overcrowded drawer or closet rather than find
space for it?
-
Do you collect things to give to others?
-
Do you bring things into your house without
establishing a place for them?
-
Is your clutter causing problems in your
relationships?
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Are you embarrassed to have visitors because
your home is never presentable?
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Do you hesitate to share this problem because
you are ashamed of your clutter?
-
Are you constantly doing things for others while
your own home is out of order?
-
Do you miss deadlines or abandon projects
because you can't find the paperwork or material
to finish the work?
-
Have you tried to clean up from time to time but
find yourself unable to stick with it?
-
Does the problem appear to be growing?
-
Do you sometimes get buried in detail, making
projects take much longer than is really
necessary?
-
Do you procrastinate about cleaning up because
you believe you must do it perfectly or you
won't do it at all?
-
Are you easily sidetracked, moving from one
project to another without finishing any of
them?
-
Do you have problems with time management and
estimating how long it takes to do things?
-
Do you believe there is all the time in the
world to clean your house, finish those
projects, and read all those piles of old
magazines?
-
Do you use distractions to escape from your
clutter?
Once more, I ask the question, “Are you a
clutterer?” But what about emotional clutter?
Writer Jodie Foster states, "Emotional clutter
is a form of interference. When a river is
blocked with trees, logs, bushes, etc. the water
doesn't flow easily. The river begins to
stagnate. Do you feel that your life is so
difficult? Like it is stuck?”
EMOTIONAL CLUTTER: Are you an emotional
clutterer? Psychologist Donna Cameron, also
known as the Clutterer Doctor, gives five things
to do to eliminate emotional clutter: “1.
Sorting: Sort in your mind the flow of
thoughts, feelings, and external stimuli to
prioritize the most important. 2. Awareness:
Recognize your thoughts, feelings, patterns, or
the specific reality of the situation without
judgment. 3. Intention: You define your
purpose. This shifts you from passive
observation to active determination, deciding how you
want to align your energy. 4. Choice: You
evaluate your available options and select the
specific path that aligns with your intention.
5. Action: You execute the chosen path. This is
the physical or mental implementation that
bridges internal alignment with external
reality.”
FOOD CLUTTER: Are you a food clutterer? There
is the food or nutritional clutterer. Too many
sweets. Too little water. Too much meat with
little or no fresh vegetables. Alcohol –
Guinness, Red Stripe, Sands Beer, Kalik.
Illegal Drugs. Eating too late at night. I can
go on and on.
MARITAL CLUTTER: Are you a marital clutterer?
Here are a few ways to know if you are a marital
clutterer. Too busy with work outside of the
home. Too busy to work within the home. Too busy
to wash dishes. Too busy to clean the house.
Cannot hug longer than a split second. Cannot
kiss longer than a split second. Ashamed to hold
hands in public. Ashamed to show affection in
public. Cannot linger for a long time in bed
while naked without having sex. Pornography
addiction. Flirtatious behavior
If you are guilty of any or all of these things
and if you know you are a clutterer, start a
program of de-cluttering. Let’s call it spring
cleaning. Do “spring cleaning” (de-cluttering)
every morning of your life. That’s physical and
emotional de-cluttering.
Barrington H. Brennen is a marriage and family
therapist. Send your questions or comments to question@soencouragement.org or
call 11242 327 1980 or visit
www.soencouragement.org
