This week, in a back-to-school mood, we’ll explore clutter through various subject areas.
Today: English, or Language Arts
Defining clutter:
It is much easier to say what is not clutter:
- something that is beautiful (your definition of beautiful)
- something that is useful (you actually use it, not just “might come in handy for something”)
- something that has an assigned place and fits well into your space
Therefore, what is clutter:
- something that does not add beauty to your space
- something that is not used
- something that is “homeless;” it has nowhere to go, and therefore ends up on any available horizontal surface, such as the kitchen counter, the coffee table, or the entrance hall floor
Beauty, and usefulness, are definitely in the eye of the beholder, so the decision about what constitutes clutter is very subjective. This is certainly a case of “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” or One man’s clutter is another man’s collection.