IT is a word full of foreboding that may make us shiver at its utterance, but it seems the truth is, most of us have a ‘doom’ box and the rising trend is not quite as bad as it may sound.

 

So what is a ‘doom box’?

It is one of those boxes or bags - or whatever receptacle you have opted for - within your home that houses the miscellaneous nonsense you have accumulated over the years that falls within no particular organisational bracket that you pile together with the intention - whether realised or not - of sorting out later.

 

It’s just life’s detritus?

Not quite as it is not necessarily waste or unwanted as detritus can be, it just doesn’t come under any particular heading and is a mix of the sentimental can’t-quite-bring-yourself-to-part-with items to the spare parts and odds and ends we gather over time, from the small screwdriver set you got in a Christmas cracker years ago, to a postcard sent with love and good wishes from far afield.

 

There’s more to it?

For some, there can be, yes. Research suggests that people diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to put together a doom box as they are quick ways to take the first step toward organising, rather than outright sorting your life out in one go.

 

ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition that includes symptoms such as being restless and having trouble concentrating and people with the condition have been sharing their fondness for doom boxes online.

 

So it’s a trend?

Doom Boxes have become a notable online trend during the pandemic, rising in popularity as we have all found ourselves spending swathes more time at home, either with more spare hours to tidy up or a stronger desire to reside in tidy surroundings.

 

And?

Let’s face it, it is easier to just gather up random items and put them in a box than it is to find genuine abodes for packs of cards and rubber bands and so on that just don’t necessarily have an obvious home.

 

However?

Some TikTok users suggest that multiple doom boxes can be a sign of a need to address undiagnosed ADHD or escalating ADHD, with thousand of videos posted online about the subject and millions of views accumulated as people relate to the modern-day practice that allows for variations, from ‘doom drawers’ to ‘doom closets’.

 

Being tidy is in itself a trend?

Decluttering as a concept has surged in popularity during Covid, championed by Japanese organisational expert, Marie Kondo, whose Netflix show based on her book ‘The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up’, boosted a cult following. Kondo says simply that tidying can 'spark joy' and that if there are items in your home that do not 'speak to the heart' then they should be 'discarded', with Kondo saying : "Thank them for their service - then let them go.”