Are you near-sighted? Far-sighted? Color blind? How about clutter blind? That’s right - clutter blind. Clutter blindness is not something that can be fixed with a prescription for new glasses or Lasik surgery. As a matter of fact, clutter blindness is a recurring impairment.

I first heard the term “clutter blind” in a conversation with good friend and fellow organizer, Dara Finkel of the NAPO - New York chapter. She used it to refer to the phenomenon of out of place objects becoming so commonplace that they are invisible.

This term is perfect as it so vividly captures the essence of a frequent and commonly shared experience. Things that are put aside for just a moment somehow develop the chameleon-like quality of blending in and becoming ‘part of the furniture’ so to say. Before we know it, we are surrounded by clutter that seems to have grown up of its own accord around us. A pair of boots left by the door after a snowstorm may be helping to crowd the foyer in July. A watch in need of battery replacement left on the counter in May is being pushed aside to make room for a Halloween pumpkin.

It is not just ordinary utilitarian objects that we lose sight of either. We can even begin to lose sight of the ‘reminders’; sticky notes for instance, that we have purposefully put in place to catch our attention. Like a string tied around your finger for so long, you forget why you’re wearing it.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly have bouts of clutter blindness. Just looking around my house right now, I can pinpoint a couple of items that I have become blind to: a planter with the remains of a dead plant, a tote bag near the door with a couple of things in it to be returned (in February).

All right so how can we deal with clutter blindness? Since it can be a circumstance that presents itself over and over again, I suggest a two-step process:

First: a monthly survey of the spaces. Simply look at a room or a area (an end table, desk, entranceway, etc) and ask yourself three questions - What is there? How long has it been there? Why is it there?

Second: take action.

For instance, you look at your kitchen and see a mop in the corner of the room. You know you put it there, not as an update to your kitchen décor, but with the intention of mopping the floor. When was that - last week, month or year? The next step is to decide that today is the day to take action! Put the mop away, delegate the job or start mopping.

The great thing about this process is that it can be replicated in any area of your home or workplace and can be applied in the same way by anyone of almost any age.

So go ahead, take a look around – what do you see?

* Annette Reyman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and its Philadelphia Chapter View her Web site at www.allrightorganizing.com. To contact Annette for organizing work or speaking engagements in the Greater Philadelphia area call (908) 361-7105 or email her at annettereyman@gmail.com.