We can open the same drawer everyday and see the same clothes and not notice the clutter. We look for what we want to wear, and the things we don't care for get overlooked.
We've taught ourselves to not notice clutter so we can find the things we need in the moment.
Clutter busting is a new way of looking at your stuff. It's reverse looking. You're looking for the things you don't want to wear...as well as listen to, read, eat, look at, hang out with, spend your time doing, etc.
I've found the verbal approach to be very effective in finding clutter because when you talk about something, it becomes easier to put your attention on it.
I got an opportunity to put this in practice yesterday, when my girlfriend asked me to help her clutter bust her clothes drawers. I sat on the bed, while she opened the top drawer of the dresser. I asked her to pick up one piece of clothing at a time and tell me if she loves wearing it, or not.
She picked up the first shirt, "Here's the situation with this..."
I stopped her. I said if she had to preface the shirt with a complication, she doesn't love wearing the shirt. It's either, "Yes" or "No."
She got it that she didn't want to wear the shirt anymore and put the shirt in the donate bag.
She picked up the next shirt and said, "I feel like you would love me more if I wore this." I said that I already love her. She put the shirt in the donate bag.
The next shirt she said, "This is a nice shirt." She sounded bright and happy. The shirt fit her physically and emotionally. The shirt stayed.
She picked up the next shirt and said, "I feel I should keep it because it got signed by the lead singer for the English Beat." I said that her voice sounded tired. I also mentioned that when you say you should do something, it a clutter red flag that means you don't want to. Perhaps someone else wants you to, but your only concern is what do you like, today-now. She donated the shirt.
She found the next shirt and said, "That's a great shirt." It stayed. "That's a cute shirt. I love that one!" That one stayed too.
When she had finished a half hour later, she looked through her drawers and said, "Now I look in my drawers and say, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"