There comes a point where no amount of “organizing”, no amount of cramming things in, no amount of playing Tetris is going to change the fact that you have too many things to fit in your house. I call this the Stuff Tipping Point.

How can you tell if your house is at the Stuff Tipping Point?

You might be there, if you’ve experienced one or more of these things:

This room can’t be used for its intended purpose (a bedroom or home office). Instead it has become a storage unit.

You’ve accomplished washing, drying and folding all the laundry, but now there just isn’t enough room in your closet or dresser to put it all away.
The pantry is at the bursting point, and you’re struggling to find someplace to put all the new food you just brought home.
Your go-to strategy is to buy freestanding garment racks to hold more clothes, but you’ve now run out of floor space to park any new garment racks.
You want to use the toaster (or the microwave, or the blender), but first you have to move the coffee maker (or the air fryer, or the food processor) out of the way
You can’t find an item, so you buy another one. Later, you find multiples of the same item, (often hidden behind other items). You realize you’ve done this dance before.
You are unable to access certain places in your home because of the pileup of stuff. This might mean a closet door you can’t open because stuff is blocking it, a shelf with things you’d love to use but currently are unable to reach, or a room you can’t use because it’s become a giant storage unit.

Just moving around this cluttered bedroom requires extra work. Note the “elf trails”!

Not only are you running out of space, but you’re also being forced to do extra work

What these experiences have in common is not only that you’re running out of space, but also that you’re being forced to do extra work. Living in a house that is at the Stuff Tipping Point is neither smooth, peaceful, nor seamless. You are always having to put in extra labor and effort, simply to go through the basic processes of living in your home. Whether that means taking detours around stuff because the straight-line route is blocked, spending extra time getting dressed in the morning because your closet is packed yet there’s “nothing to wear”, or losing essential items like keys, phones or important paperwork in the mess—the common denominator is extra work.

Even when you are sitting motionless in a home that is at the Stuff Tipping Point, you’re still doing more work, because visual clutter is literally more data for your brain to process. That’s one of the reasons that being in a cluttered space can feel so stressful, tiring, and overwhelming.

At this point, many people will decide they need to get organized. Unfortunately, a lot of folks will make their first step a trip to the Container Store to buy some of those lovely bins, boxes, and baskets. Why is this a mistake?

Don’t buy containers first

It’s a mistake because, if you think about it, containers are also stuff. As I discussed in a previous blog post, simply putting your stuff inside more stuff—without first deciding which stuff belongs in your life—does not magically cause you to become organized. It simply leaves you with a bunch of stuff inside containers. It’s very likely that in the future, more stuff will get put in front of those containers.

If containers aren’t the solution, what is? I always recommend paring down your belongings first. In a house that is at the Stuff Tipping Point, this can seem like an overwhelming, unsurmountable task. Here are some tips that can help.

What can help?

1) Do a quick first pass to clear out the “low hanging fruit”—any items that clearly need to go. This includes household trash, broken or damaged items, as well as expired food and medicine. It shouldn’t take much (if any) decision-making power to select these things. If you find yourself spending minutes thinking about an item, set it aside and move on.

2) Next, break the big overwhelming decluttering task into manageable chunks by focusing on a category (type of item). Instead of “the entire living room”, you could focus on the mail, papers and magazines cluttering up the entryway. Instead of “the whole closet”, you could focus on just sweaters, or just button-down shirts. Gather similar items together—this will help you get an accurate idea of what you own.

3) Then make decisions. Let go of things you don’t use or need—whether you’ve never used it, or it’s been a long time and you’re unlikely to use it in the future. Let go of “just-in-case” items and “I might need it someday” items. (There are notable exceptions, such as first aid kits and fire extinguishers.)

4) Let go of things that make you feel bad. Whether it’s a gift from someone you’re no longer friends with, a piece of clothing that cost a lot but doesn’t fit right, or unflattering photos, let them go. Only have things in your home that make you feel good, are useful, or are necessary.

A cluttered pantry… before and after paring down.

If you did nothing else, simply reducing the amount of items you own will help—a lot!

If you did nothing else, simply reducing the amount of items you own will help—a lot! There will be less stuff to look at, less stuff to navigate (and clean) around, less stuff parked in front of the item you’re looking for. Let go of enough stuff, and you will have pulled your home back from the Stuff Tipping Point. That means less stress, less clutter, and less work just to go through the basic processes of living in your home. And you’re going to feel better.

Decluttering and discarding is the first step of organizing. Step two is deciding where to store things, in a way that works for you. See this article for help on where to put things, and what to put them in.

I’m Kammy, a Chicagoland-based professional organizer. If your home is at the Stuff Tipping Point and you’d like things to be different, but you don’t know where to start, I’m here to help. Reach out to me or text (773) 756-5414 for your free 30-minute consultation. 🌱

When we declutter and organize with the KonMari Method, we use the test of "Does it spark joy?" to decide which of our belongings to keep. But what if that question leaves you scratching your head? Or doesn't inspire you? Or you just can't relate?

Consider a broader definition of "joy"

Joy doesn't always have to mean an intense feeling. Our most prized possessions might make us want to jump up and down for sheer delight. But sometimes joy can be much more subtle and low-key.

One example is the plain white soap dish in my kitchen. It's shaped with a small spout, allowing any water in the dish to drain directly into the sink. Does this make me want to sing my heart out? Not really, but it does save me from having to periodically clean out a wet, messy soap dish. It's just one small thing that contributes to my life in a positive way.

Don't get too hung up on the exact question

Maybe the question "Does this spark joy?" simply does not resonate with you. It can help to remember that this phrasing is just an approximation. In Marie Kondo's books, "spark joy" is a translation of the Japanese word tokimeku ("to flutter" or "to beat fast", like an excited heartbeat). In other words, when you touch the item, you feel something. You could try alternative questions along these lines, such as:

"Is it beautiful?"
"Do I feel something when I touch this item?"
"Am I excited to use or wear this item?"
"Does this item make me happy?"

Or perhaps fluttery feelings aren't your thing, and you're focused more on practicality. Try asking:

"Does it have a purpose?"
"Do I use it often?"
"Does this item help me do the things I want to do?"
"Does this item make my life easier?"

"I just don't know what I feel!"

If you feel undecided, ambivalent, or "blank" about an item, Marie Kondo suggests that you try praising it. Tell the item how much it improves your life. What features do you appreciate about it? Can you find something nice to say about the object's functionality, durability, design, color, size, or safety features?

If you can, then keep it with confidence. And if you really can't think of a single good thing to say, then feel free to let that item go (with gratitude).

Trust your instincts

Very often, it's when we start second-guessing ourselves and spending a lot of time ruminating that we come up against the wall of indecision. Try asking yourself, "What's my first impulse about this item?" and use that as your decision-making test.

In the end, "spark joy" is just shorthand for learning to listen to yourself and to trust your instinctive feelings about what belongs in your life and what doesn't. Find a way that works for you, and you can’t go wrong. 🌱

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