5 Surefire Ways to Create a Cluttered Home

 If you love clutter, if you enjoy feeling overwhelmed, and if your favourite way of dealing with stuff is to pile it up randomly all over your house, then this post is going to be incredibly helpful to you.I've got the five best, never-fail techniques to help you create a cluttered home - and keep it that way.(If, by chance, you actually enjoy having an uncluttered home that's easy to live in, feel free to do the exact opposite. You know, if that's your thing.) 

The Five Ways to Create a Cluttered Home

1. Never leave a room better than you found it.Pay no attention to the toys on the floor, leave the clean clothes unhung and let the coffee cups sit on the bench. As you exit a room, studiously ignore anything out of place, and do not, under any circumstances, pick those items up and return them to their rightful position.2. Never finish what you start.This is my personal favourite, and already exists as part of life for those of us living with young children.No kids? Don't let that stop you!Simply start a task, project or activity and stop before you're done. You may want to succumb to distraction, laziness or procrastination - these are the best ways to avoid finishing anything, and therefore adding to the clutter further.3. Do not ever tidy up as you go.Don't pack the dishwasher as you finish breakfast. Do not pick up the previous game before the next one is pulled out. Don't file your papers as they've been actioned. And most definitely do not, ever, put the clean laundry back in the wardrobe once it's folded.In addition, I highly recommend leaving things out long after you've finished using them.That toaster sitting on the kitchen bench? The glass you just drank from? The notepad you just wrote in? The shopping you just brought home? Sure, it might take mere seconds to pack away, but that's time you could spend making another pile.This way, you will amass many unnecessary stacks of things in a very short period of time. It's the perfect way to add clutter to your home with no effort whatsoever!4. Ignore the clutter creep.Don't listen to the frustrations or annoyances that crop up when looking around your home. Ignore the little voice nagging at you. And certainly don't take any action.Do not move through your home and pick up everything that is out of place. Do not sort it out. Do not put it back in its rightful place. Simply let the clutter slowly increase, and gradually take over your home.5. Employ the Shove and Hide Method.If, in a moment of weakness, you decide you have had enough of the clutter (or your in-laws decide to visit) you must employ the excellent Shove and Hide Method of tidying.Do not waste your time putting things back in their rightful position. Instead, scoop up an armful of clutter and shove it in a random cupboard. Repeat this process for any piles you find, ensuring the cupboard is nice and full when you're finished. This means not only are your cupboards now cluttered with random mess, but when you find yourself looking for something, the contents of said cupboards will be spread around the house. It's a win-win for clutter! OK, OK, I'm taking my tongue out of my cheek now to say this: I am not trying to make you feel bad. I am as guilty of every one of these things as anyone. I procrastinate, I shove, I ignore the mess and don't finish what I begin. Part of that is life, but the other part is a lack of awareness.I figure if we can put a name to the behaviour, if we can see the consequences laid out before us, we are far more likely to actually pay attention and make the necessary changes.Pay attention for long enough and these changes will become habit. And habits? They become our normal.