Clutter is anything that gets in the way.
But did you know there are actually two kinds of clutter?
Absolute clutter is anything that no longer adds value to your life: a dried-out pen, a single glove whose partner disappeared, a board game missing half its pieces, a stack of business cards from people you don’t remember, a bottle of sunscreen from a vacation six summers ago.
Contextual clutter, on the other hand, consists of things that still add value but are currently out of place: A blender in my bed renders both the blender and the bed useless. A suitcase blocking the hallway three weeks after a trip becomes an obstacle. A stack of mail on the passenger seat makes it difficult for someone to sit there.
The problem isn’t always the thing itself. Sometimes the problem is simply where it is.
Absolute clutter needs to go.
Contextual clutter just needs a home.
—JFM
P.S. If you’d like 12 rules to help contextualize your clutter, my new book, Very, Very Simple, is now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
