“The Things We’ll Do to Avoid Doing Things”

Not all clutter is created equal. Some things hang around because we’re sentimental. Some because we feel guilty letting them go. And then there’s procrastination clutter—the stuff we don’t deal with simply because… we don’t feel like it.

Case in point: my shower curtain and liner. Out here in the country, our water is full of iron, which means shower liners turn yellow and gross pretty fast. So, I buy new ones regularly. Easy fix, right? Except instead of throwing the old one away, I shoved it under the bathroom sink. Why? Because walking it to the outside trash felt like “too much.”

And it’s not just shower curtains. Procrastination clutter shows up everywhere:

• Cardboard boxes waiting to be broken down.

• Old food in the fridge you’re “saving for trash night.”

• Mail stacked on the counter.

• Conditioner bottles you’ve left upside down in the shower because you don’t feel like squeezing out the last drop. (Yes, guilty. At one point I had four of them in there!)

Procrastination clutter isn’t about guilt. It’s not sentimental. It’s about avoiding small tasks because they feel inconvenient in the moment.

And if you want a laugh—Chad’s teenage boys are living examples. Taking out the trash? “Yeah, in a minute.” Putting their shoes in the bin by the door? “I might go outside later.” Unloading the dishwasher? Suddenly, they’ve got a to-do list longer than mine. But invite them to go scouting? They’re in the truck in three seconds.

Sound familiar?

The problem with procrastination clutter is that it piles up. One ignored task turns into ten. What started as a little thing under the sink or on the counter snowballs into visual stress and overwhelm.

So how do you deal with it?

• Grab a trash bag and walk the house. Toss the obvious stuff—even if the bag isn’t full.

• Pair it with a habit. For me, every time I deep-clean the bathroom, the shower curtain and liner automatically get replaced.

• Follow the two-minute rule. If it takes less than two minutes to ditch, donate, or recycle it—just do it.

In Episode 5 of Get Unstuffed, I dig into procrastination clutter: why we all do it, how it sneaks up on us, and how to finally tackle it before it takes over.

Because sometimes, the biggest weight in your home isn’t guilt or sentiment—it’s just the things you keep putting off.