Is 2017 the year you're going to get organiz-ized? The first step is acknowledging the scope of the issue. A bunch of organizations (!) have helpful scales to determine how pronounced you or someone you know is getting with their clutter:
Above is a nine-point scale ranging from Felix Unger to typical teen. Anyone who has seen real hoarders knows that the clutter is never as clean as this staged demo.
The Institute for Challenging Disorganization developed a five-point Clutter-Hoarding Scale with a helpful Homeland Security style color code:
The term challenging disorganization describes disorganization that poses a problem for an individual. For many people challenging disorganization may be a lifelong problem. But for others, it may be a problem brought on by circumstances. The Institute for Challenging Disorganization provides strategies to help anyone who is challenged by disorganization. Prior to 2011, the ICD was known as the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. The term "challenging disorganization" was selected to replace "chronic disorganization" because it was seen as less clinical sounding, less confusing, more inclusive and more hopeful.
• More Than Clutter: How To Understand And Intervene In Hoarding (Vermont Public Radio)
