New Book Says an Organized Home is the Key to True Happiness

It's January, so naturally everyone is abuzz about getting their bodies and their homes and, well, their lives in order.

Sure, getting organized is the key to getting those new year goals checked off your list, but it turns out that it could also be the key to true happiness, according to Gretchen Rubin over at The Happiness Project.

Gretchen's new book of the same title chronicles her year-long endeavor, putting age-old wisdom, scientific research and lessons from pop culture to the test in an effort to live happier. Or, as she put it in the subtitle of the book, "Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun." What a wonderful list of resolutions!

An excerpt from the book posted by Simply Stated blogger Erin Doland was just what I needed to kick start my own pursuit of joy -- an insightful look at eight types of clutter that lie in wait around our home. If you know what you're looking for, it will be easy to quit the clutter. Here are 8 happiness hampers to look out for:

1. Nostalgic clutter. You know what this is. The years of childhood (and maybe even grown-up) relics that seem too meaningful to let go.

2. Conservation clutter, which Rubin says is comprised of the things you think are useful in a general sense, even if they're totally useless to you personally.

3. Bargain clutter. Seriously, who wants to pass up a good deal? You (and I) might want to consider it if you're being overrun by unnecessary things you bought simply because they were on sale. Yes, like that wholesale-size box of purple votive candles you planned on using for your wedding. (Not that I've ever bought any of those.)

4. Freebie clutter, the evil twin of bargain clutter that typically comes wrapped in a gift tag, the lingering scent of the previous owner or a label that reads "giveaway".

5. Crutch clutter. Rubin's own examples explained this one best: "These things I used but knew I shouldn't: my horrible green sweatshirt (bought secondhand more than ten years ago), my eight-year-old underwear with holes and frayed edges..."

6. Aspirational clutter. For those out there with an eternal to-do list, this one's for you. It's made up of the things that you own, but only aspire to use, like that 10 yards of toile fabric and set of dining chairs you planned on reupholstering.

7. Outgrown clutter, which Rubin says is the flip side of the aspirational sort and seems to me like a mix of items from the aspirational, nostalgic and conservation groups.

8. Buyer's remorse clutter. It's that blatant denial that your bad purchase will somehow get "used up," even if it is just sitting in the closet or pantry for years on end.