What’s hidden beneath your clutter?
Can you identify with any of these:
- You wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time
- You own several pieces of the same kind of furniture at once
- You buy the same shoes in different colours.
Those who tend to collect stuff will have emotional ties that bind them to physical clutter.
Let’s look at some of the psychology behind clutter.
Why Clutter Happens
1. It’s a reflection on who you are
The Feng Shui definition for clutter is “postponed decisions and the inability to move forward.” Look around you now, is clutter holding you back?
2. It’s a strive for perfection.
Clutter can build when perfectionists feel the need to continue with tasks even though it could be finished. Perfectionists crave approval, so if a room is redecorated for example but they don’t get the reaction they were after, then they will continue to strive for a better outcome.
3. It gives a sense of security.
People collect things because it might come in handy someday. It’s like “I’m keeping this extra blanket along with my 10 other blankets since I might need them one day.” But in reality that someday doesn’t come and the clutter gathered dust and takes up space.
4. You haven’t outgrown bad habits from childhood.
Some people may grow up in households that don’t throw out things that still have possible use. Or there’s a look but don’t touch rule. Habits instilled in us from childhood can be hard to beat and usually it’s channeled into adult lives.
Resources For Dealing With Clutter
Links to Helpful Blogs
Hoarding: 7 Lies That Keep You Caught In Clutter
Are You, or is Someone You Love, a Hoarder?
Dealing With Other People’s Clutter
Links to Helpful Step-By-Step Decluttering Programs
7 Days To A Dramatically Decluttered Home : An online program to help you radically reduce the amount of junk, clutter, and excess STUFF in your life. All in just 7 days, 1 hour a day! Next program starts Monday 6 March 2017.
30 Days To An Organized Home : A power-decluttering program for getting rid of household clutter in 5 or 10 minutes a day over 30 days.
Good post….thanks for sharing.. very useful for me, I will bookmark this for my future needs.
The information is so nice and helpful. I hope that we will get more new information in the future also.
Awesome Advice! I truly need to do this. Much obliged for sharing it at Think Tank . I have highlighted you today. keep sharing for more tips
I going to apply these to my life!
Items from your childhood should be family heirlooms; jewelry; high school yearbooks; photos; artwork from family members.