It’s eleven o’clock, your house is finally quiet and you have a few minutes to unwind after a long day. You slip under the covers, grab your device and start perusing the internet. Within seconds, you are bombarded with ads filled with beautiful people and places, a few clicks take you to the promise-land of never-ending online shopping. We’ve all been there and it’s hard not to let yourself get sucked into the late night, online shopping vortex.

Here’s the danger… According to a recent article in the NY Times entitled, “The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter,” psychologists have concluded that a cluttered home environment can negatively impact one’s mental well-being, specifically in women. One of the psychologists cited in the article, Dr. Saxbe, suggests trying to reduce shopping habits to reduce the amount of incoming objects because people have a strong tendency to become attached to things they own. I personally experience this phenomenon on a daily basis working as a professional organizer. At times I am completely dumbfounded by the control that inanimate, tangible objects have over intelligent, successful human beings.

My best advice for curtailing late night online shopping sprees? It’s simple - impose a 24-hour rule. I actually use the same rule for any purchase north of $100. I always try to wait 24 hrs and 99% of the time, I discover that it would have been an impulse purchase. I encourage you to give this a try and I would love to know how it works for you. I hope this helps to let your space bloom within Baltimore and beyond.