Conquer Your Inner Hoarder!

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I’ve become fascinated with the hoarding shows on television. A&E offers Hoarders and TLC airs Hoarding: Buried Alive. The basic premise of both shows is that hoarding is a type of obsessive compulsive disorder whereby people become incapable of throwing out anything, and I mean anything: broken hangers, empty soda cans, and the hoarders’ classic, old newspapers. Their stuff has taken over their homes, their lives, and their relationships. The hoarders often fight their families, well-meaning organizers, and professional therapists about why they need to keep such items as a ceramic bunny that was bought five years ago and still has the sales tag on it.

Besides the television shows, the recent nonfiction book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee uses case studies to explore the world of hoarders and tries to understand why more than six million Americans suffer from the disorder.

Why am I so fascinated with hoarding? It’s quite possible that these shows allow me to look around my home and think, “I’m not that bad…even though three loads of laundry need to be folded, and this morning’s dishes are still in the sink, and the pile of papers I need to shred date back to 1998.”

Boomers were born during one the greatest eras of prosperity in the history of the United States. Boomers were also the first generation to grow up with television, a great peddler of stuff; so we bought stuff…and lots of it, for example, McMansions, SUVs, and complete DVD sets of M*A*S*H. The late, great George Carlin even had a bit on what our stuff means to us.

Most of us aren’t classic hoarders but we certainly can use a little more organization in our lives. We posted about decluttering on the blog before, and maybe it’s time for a refresher. There are books available at the Library to help get yourself organized and finally get rid of that stuff:

• Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke

• Go Organize!: Conquer Clutter in 3 Simple Steps by Marilyn Boh

• How to Cheat at Organizing: Quick, Clutter-Clobbering Ways to Simplify Your Life by Jeff Bredenberg

• Clutter Busting: Letting Go Of What’s Holding You Back by Brooks Palmer

• Kick the Clutter: Clear Out Excess Stuff Without Losing What You Love by Ellen Phillips

Are you ready to conquer your inner hoarder? What belongings are you ready to finally let go of? What organizing tips do you have for others? Leave us a comment and let us know!

-mz