The common thing about clutter is, it’s just a bunch of unrelated stuff tossed together in heaps or boxes or bags. As unsightly as it becomes, it still continues to grow if left unattended.

At that point, the stuff is then difficult to confront. Some people don’t actually see it anymore. Funny thing, that is.

It wasn’t until this one hairdresser was faced with a tax audit that he took notice to his “stuff” around him. Not knowing where to begin, he called for help.

The worst area with the most accumulated clutter was in his car port area, so that was going to be the area to tackle first.

There were boxes and bags and bags within boxes and bins all filled with a mixture of paper, household items, hair products and accessories, electronics, clothing, CDs, and old cassettes of music. A large tarp was placed over the stuff – either to hide it or to protect it, who knows.

Starting with one box, the sorting process began. The best things to use for sorting into categories of like-items are any kind of container or box. In this case, we carry our portable foldaway mesh baskets.

It was evident after just a few boxes that the habits of the hairdresser was to swoop up everything lying around the house in preparation for the arrival of some guest, and toss it all in a box or bag together, then put it in the car port, never to be dealt with again.

It was also evident that the hairdresser had good intentions at one time to do something about his clutter habit.

The sorting continued for 3 days, one box and bag at a time, until the only items left to sort were some plastic bins. It was time to sort the paper category to organize those and sift through documents relating to the tax years he was being audited on.

The hairdresser’s task was yet to come, which was the “decision-making” segment on what to keep, what to toss, what to donate or sell. He would have to go through the sorted categories and review the contents, one item at a time. The papers were going to be saved for last, as these were still being sorted.

Progress continued in the car port until everything was sorted and organized into categorized bins.

The mess is gone!