DETROIT – You won't find organizing expert Cas Aarssen folding clothes into tiny squares.
"Life's too short to fold your underwear," explained Aarssen.
While Marie Kondo and her Konmari Method have struck a chord with many people, others find her techniques a little, shall we say, overwhelming.
"It's amazing. But is it doable? Is it something you're actually going to take the time to do every day? And for me, the answer is no. I have three kids. I'm busy," said Aarssen.
On her journey from self-described "super slob" to professional organizer, Aarssen has learned a lot about clutter, and herself. Her popular "Clutterbug" podcast http://clutterbug.me/, YouTube channel and three books http://clutterbug.me/ books focus on a "good enough" approach to organizing.
"Sometimes we have to embrace 'good enough' in all areas of our life because done today is better than perfect tomorrow," said Aarssen.
She is excited that Marie Kondo has people inspired to purge some of their belongings.
But --
"I think the idea of sparking joy works for clothing. I think it works for books. But it doesn't work for your spatula. Your spatula does not spark joy. Your blender does not spark joy. So a better question might be, 'Would I buy this again?'" said Aarssen. "Does your potato masher spark joy? No. But if you broke it, would you buy it again? Yes, because you need a potato masher."
Aarssen says a mistake she often sees is people trying to micro-organize their things.
"So put things in lots of small categories. 'Good enough organizing' is macro-categories. So instead of organizing your bathroom closet by antacids and pain relievers and allergy medication, you have one (bin) for medications and everything goes in there," explained Aarssen.
It can be a tough sell with perfectionists.
"The majority of people who really struggle with clutter are perfectionists, believe it or not," said Aarssen. "It's this 'perfection paralysis.' You don't know the right decision or the perfect thing to do, you're so overwhelmed that you do nothing at all."
Instead, start with 'good enough.'
"It's good enough. You can always go back and make it perfect later, but for now, you always know where everything is. It's contained, it's organized," said Aarssen.
To get started decluttering, Aarssen recommends what she calls a "21-item toss." Grab a trash bag and walk around your house finding 21 items you can throw out. Old receipts, expired food, etc.
"I love the '21-item toss' because for me, when I was decluttering, it was overwhelming," said Aarssen. "If you break it down into 'I have to find 21 things,' it's so much easier. Twenty-one things is a perfect number because it's big enough to make an impact on your space, but it's small enough that you can accomplish it in 10 minutes' time. I do a '21-item toss' once a week, but when I was a super slob drowning in clutter, I did a '21-item toss' every single day. Every day for almost a full year."
If you struggle with indecision and perfection, Aarssen urges you to remember this motto: "When in doubt, throw it out."
"Sometimes people have indecision about even how to get rid of things. 'Do I give it to a friend? Do I recycle it? Do I donate it? What's the best? Should I sell it?' And that indecision leads to procrastination," said Aarssen. "If you're not sure what to do with something or if you should keep it, throw it out. It's a crazy concept, I know. But I'm going to promise you, if you tell yourself that's what you're going to do, when you actually get to that object, you're like 'If I can't make a decision, I'm throwing it out,' you'll make a decision."
But whatever you do, just start.
"Your clutter affects every single aspect of your life," said Aarssen. "If you're living in chaos, you feel chaotic. This decluttering trend is getting people to a place where their home is a relaxing oasis, and that's what it should be."
Aarssen has identified four different types of "Clutterbugs." There is a free online quiz you can take to find out which one you are and identify your personal organizing style. If you've tried to get organized before and failed, Aarssen says the quiz is the perfect place to start.
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