Jamie and Filip Hord, professional organizers and declutter experts, stand in front of a wall of organized shoes. Via Horderly.com

Why does clutter happen? How can we get rid of it and how will it affect us psychologically if we do? Buckle up for an episode that will lift your spirits and quite possibly change your life. Welcome to Oikology, the science of keeping things tidy. Alie hunted down world-famous professional organizers, Jamie & Filip Hoard of Horderly to chat about -- FIRST OFF-- their name, plus gender and messes, when to call in a pro to help, the step by step process to tackle the entropy in your home and life, what do do about gifts you don’t want, what tools you might need, the KonMari method, how to overcome the emotional attachment to objects, and why decluttering becomes addictive. We also called in the big guns, research psychologist Dr. Joe Ferrari of DePaul university, to share his research on clutter, its psychological causes and effects, if the “spark joy” method works for everyone, when to call a professional organizer and how many pants is too many pants. Also: dispatches from my own front lines. This episode already changed my own life… and closet.

Listen via Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

transcript

Why does clutter happen? How can we get rid of it and how will it affect us psychologically if we do? Buckle up for an episode that will lift your spirits and quite possibly change your life.

Follow Jamie and Filip Hord at Instagram.com/horderly or at horderly.com

Listen to Dr. Ferrari in the Volitional Psychology (Procrastination) episode and check out his book, “Still Procrastinating?”

A donation went to DressforSuccess.org and challengingdisorganization.org

More links you might enjoy:

History of “knolling”

Knoll furniture

Horderly in the New York Times

DSM-5 symptoms of Hoarding Disorder (HD)

Medication used to treat HD

The Brother labelmaker

DYMO vintage labelmaker

John Wesley “Cleanliness is next to godliness”