I’ve hated Clutter since I was a Child

I still do…

I have always hated clutter. Image created with Adobe Express

There is something that surprises me every time I read a book about minimalism and decluttering: I’v been doing it all my life.

I am an adult with ADHD.

ADHD manifests differently in each person. For me, I get short-lived obsessions where I’m incapable of seeing anything around me. Then I connect to the world, and I obsess over my surroundings. REPEAT.

And just like every other child, I wasn’t that neat. But I was organized.

What does this mean? My mom is a very neat person. You come into her house and everything looks clean, spotless. Nothing is on the way.

But she’s not organized.

Her shoes are spread across all storage areas in her house.

That important letter she got three weeks ago? It could be in three different drawers, or maybe she reinvented a new storage place for those.

Me in the other hand, as a child (not now, now I’m quite both), I was organized.

I liked knowing where everything was. Not only that, I liked being able to predict where something would be if I forgot. And I liked not having a lot of stuff.

I had a pile in my room. Maybe a box, maybe chair, where I would put everything if I didn’t feel like I had the time to focus on the task of getting organized. Storing for the sake of it, wasn’t an option. I had to think of a storing system and a place first.

But what did I do when “the pile” got too big, or my mom gave me an ultimatum, which would trigger an ADHD obsession?

So, my little 10-year-old self would take everything that didn't belong anywhere yet and put it all on her bed.

I would hang two plastic bags on my closet handles, one for things to toss and one for things to donate. The things I wanted to keep staying in a corner of my bed.

When everything was sorted out, I sat down for a second, decided on a storage system, and put things away.

My room would look neat, tidy, spotless, and minimalistic for a few months after.

So Imagine my surprise the first time I saw Marie Condo toss everything someone owned on their bed!

Over the years, I have had to do extreme declutters for the basic reason that I have done four trans-Atlantic moves.

The end result?

I always ended up reducing my possessions to a handful of suitcases.

And what have I won from this experience?

And extreme frugal lifestyle that I love. Because there’s nothing I hate more than buying something knowing that it may end up in a donation pile in no time.

I’d rather spend the money visiting my family back home.

Kids can also declutter. Image created with Adobe Express