What is Clutterers Anonymous?

Clutterers Anonymous (CLA) is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem with clutter and help each other to recover.

We achieve this as individuals, groups, and a fellowship by practicing our 12 Steps of recovery and by being guided by our 12 Traditions. Each of them embodies a set of principles for living life effectively, inside and outside CLA.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop cluttering. There are no dues or fees for membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. Our fellowship is based on suggestion, interchange of experience, rotation of leadership, and service.

CLA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology, or religious doctrine; we take no position on outside issues. Our primary purpose is to stop cluttering one day at a time and to carry this message of recovery to clutterers who still suffer.
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The Alcoholics Anonymous Preamble has been adapted with the permission of The AA Grapevine, Inc. Permission to adapt the AA Preamble does not mean that AA is affiliated with this program. AA is a program of recovery from alcoholism only - use of AA?s Preamble or an adapted version of its Preamble in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after AA, but which address other problems, or use in any other non-AA context, does not imply otherwise.
© 1989, revised 2007, by Clutterers Anonymous World Service Organization (CLA WSO).
All Rights Reserved
This is CLA Fellowship - approved literature.

How does it work? Read a short description.

CLA East holds a Clutter Free Day twice a year. May 3, 2008 will be our next Clutter Free Day, held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Metuchen, NJ More information to be posted here.

What does Clutterers Anonymous have to offer you? Find out about the real problem lurking underneath the physical mess and how others have found hope.

What is clutter?

Clutter is anything we don't need, want, or use that takes our time, energy or space, and destroys our serenity. It can be outgrown clothes, obsolete papers, broken toys, disliked gifts, meaningless activity, ancient resentments, or unsatisfying relationships. We may be selective in some areas, but not in others. Objects may be strewn about or wedged into drawers; neatly stacked or stowed in storage.

Our clutter seems to have a life of its own, to multiply without effort on our part. We may feel overwhelmed, controlled by our possessions, doomed to be hopelessly disorganized. No matter how we deal with our clutter, it can be a source of pain and shame to ourselves and to those we live with.

Despite this pain, we fear throwing things out. We think we might need it, fix it, or wear it again. We don't want to be wasteful or ungrateful. We don't know what to keep and what to discard. We don't know how much is enough.

Decluttering is not merely eliminating, but gradually transforming our space so that we surround ourselves only with things that express our purpose. It means turning something useless into something useful; creating more leisure and space; being more honest in our relationships; eliminating distractions and simplifying our lives in order to find our spiritual roots.

Although we may cling to our clutter, what we really yearn for are surroundings of beauty, order, serenity; a balanced life; and harmonious relationships.

How do we achieve this? We have found that taking the following steps can help.