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Coffee Table Clutter

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A coffee table is a decent sized flat surface that comes in various shapes. Also known as a clutter magnet in our house. That is, it becomes a haven for clutter creep.

Family members, pets, and maybe even gremlins contribute to the cluttering or cleaning of our coffee table, depending on the day of the week.

Here is a partial list of items in our coffee table space just yesterday:

Perhaps not obviously, these items change, or disappear completely by the end of the day. Toys and books return to the shelf or bin. Laundry gets put away where it belongs. And other items are straightened up and so on.

My point is that clearing the clutter is an ongoing process. It also depends on how YOU define your clutter.

Pro tip: Keep clutter creep at bay by cleaning up throughout the day!

I've "Bin" there before

I’ve “Bin” there before

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I've "Bin" there beforeClutter builds up over time. It creeps along, unnoticed at first. Then one day we almost trip and fall over that stack of stuff next to the couch.

We try to avoid the clutter creep. We try to outsmart it. We store things in bags, boxes, and storage bins. Out of sight, out of mind.

Then the different containers of clutter pile up too because we haven’t really done anything except move our stuff around. What is a packrat to do?

I am guilty of doing this. I tend to set things down in front of a bookcase near the stairs. These are items that I need to review, donate, discard, and so forth. When the bins stack up I can’t find the book I need on the shelf behind my stacks of bins. Then I know it is really time to de-clutter!

04062014_Front RoomClutter removal is a process. I go through each bag, box, and bin, sorting everything. Three choices: keep, donate, or trash. Sometimes it takes a while to go through all that stuff. That’s okay, just start. One bin at a time, bit by bit.

Once the process is completed, the bins are gone. I can see the bottom shelf of the bookcase. There is the book I was looking for!

Old habits die hard. I still set things down in front of the bookcase from time to time. But I no longer let boxes and bins pile up. I’ve bin there before, but I won’t be again.