When Too Much is Just Too Much

On a weekly basis I meet people with too much!  Too much of everything, with stuff of all descriptions creating clutter and chaos in their lives.

They are drowning and need help – stat!  They are on the verge of calling the SES to save them from the flood of stuff that is occurring their own homes!  

A study undertaken by the Australian Institute titled “Stuff Happens” which surveyed 1000 Australians about clutter, naturally peaked my interest!  Whilst I won’t bore you with pages of data, some of these sobering facts might hit home with a few of you.

• 88% of homes have at least one cluttered room;

• Four in ten Australians say they feel anxious, guilty or depressed about clutter in their homes;

• The average Australian spends $1226 a year on items that have been purchased and never used. This equates to $10.5 billion across the nation;

• 59% of women said there was a room in the house that they don’t’ like visitors to see because of clutter.

Ouch!  

While some folks are happy with too much of too much, according to the survey, clutter can have some negative affects on people.

• 32% of female respondents agreed that clutter makes them feel embarrassed

• 43% agreed that “I wish I could deal with clutter in my home but haven’t been able to”

• 17% agreed that “I’m worried my children will inherit my clutter.

• 20% agreed that “The clutter in my home is a source of conflict with my partner or family”

So what can you do about it?  Bonfire perhaps?  

Again,  the study reveals that people would prefer to relocate their stuff than actually face it head on and deal with it.   20% have built a shed or garage, 13% have moved into a bigger house while  11% moved things into a friend or family members home, for which I’m sure they are grateful – not!

The conclusion of the Research Paper likens clutter to the obesity epidemic by suggesting that most of us don’t want to buy things we won’t end up using, just like most of us would like to be slimmer and fitter than we actually are.  Yet the results of this research suggest that Australian homes are often cluttered with things that are rarely or never used.  Perhaps that is a sign that too much is just too much.