“Better, probably, to just not accumulate in the first place.”

Also cheaper! Though hard when you live with lots of other people who have their own opinions on their own stuff. Yes, we have about 6 stuffed polar bears. I know not why.

Something else going on here is people accumulating too much stuff. If you’re not careful much of your life turns into ‘stuff processing’. You go buy stuff. Then you find a place for that stuff. Then you have to organize all that stuff until eventually you purge and get rid of your stuff to make way for new stuff. Better, probably, to just not accumulate in the first place.

“But sometimes the fact that you’re wearing an old, pilly sweater from 10 years ago just means you were cold this morning, that’s what was in your closet, and it matched your pants–not that you are living in the past or that you lack the self-esteem to project a confident image.” Amen @Karen! Fantastic comment.

Where I really wish people would consider your message is with clothing. Clothing is not always a metaphor either. There are so many articles about what your clothing says about you and what it means. And sometimes they’re right. But sometimes the fact that you’re wearing an old, pilly sweater from 10 years ago just means you were cold this morning, that’s what was in your closet, and it matched your pants–not that you are living in the past or that you lack the self-esteem to project a confident image. You just still like the sweater. And frankly, it’s kinda cool that it still fits perfectly even though it’s 10 years old.

Anandi I actually do agree with you…I love to be organized and lack of organization definitely stresses me out. I do spend a little bit of time each week making sure things are put away properly, and once in a while I go through and get rid of unnecessary stuff. I also (gasp!) like my email inbox to be as empty as possible & DO file my emails (I know!)
But mismatched cups/plates/towels do NOT bother me, and the whole idea that you need to invest money & a ton of time to organize your things (am I supposed to BUY matching mugs?) is what drives me away from those types of magazines.

@Calee- that sounds absolutely lovely. Sleeping in until 7:30! My 5-year-old is getting to the point of being able to microwave a frozen waffle (though I do still worry he’ll hit 15 minutes instead of 15 seconds) and turn on the TV. But right now he still seems to want to climb into bed with us instead. Or pull the baby out of her crib and bring her to us, which is another interesting development.

@ARC – I definitely think it’s a personality thing. Some people are bothered by clutter or things that don’t match. Some people aren’t bothered by these things. I also think there’s a difference between clutter on top of something you see and use (like your desk) which might actually make daily tasks more difficult vs inside a cupboard. But what bugs me about the uber-organization mindset is the idea that whatever is in a cupboard has to be a metaphor for the rest of your life, when to be honest, it really just doesn’t cross my mind at all. Because it doesn’t matter that much to me. I’m not sure I buy the Suze Orman thing either. I have dollar bills crumpled all over the place. My wallet is old and falling apart. My finances are fine.