Top excuses for holding onto clutter

Top excuses for holding onto clutter

1. “I might need it someday”

-     The ‘just incase’ syndrome is the cause of clutter for many people.

-     Consider this: would you know where to find this item when someday comes?  Would you remember to reach for this item when someday comes?

-     Weigh the cost of the prime real estate it takes to store vs. cost to replace it

-     Instead of owning it, can you rent one if you ever needed it again (tools, steam cleaner)

-     Bottom line - If ‘someday’ hasn’t come yet, it probably won’t.

2. I need this item for the information it contains

-     Do you need ALL of it?  Is it possible to copy or remove the small amount of information you require from it, and dispose of it?

-     Can you scan or digitally input the information you need, then dispose of it?

-     Bottom line – The information probably doesn’t need to be stored in this physical form

3. It brings back good times - I need this item in order to remember the good times or lost loves

-     Take a photo of it, then discard it

-     Bottom line – it’s not healthy to live in the past

4. Guilt – I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings

-     I’m sure your loved one wouldn’t want you to feel burdened by the gifts they give you.  If appropriate, ask if they want the item returned to them. 

-     It’s OK to re-gift the item to someone else, donate, or even take it back to the store and get something else you can use.

-     Consider the types of gifts you give to others – is it STUFF that could be a burden or clutter their home? Consider giving consumables or experience gifts that do not clutter someone else’s space.

-     Bottom line – Your duty is to receive it and thank the giver – not to keep the gift forever.

5. It was expensive

-     Consider selling it to get some of that money back.

-     Regardless if it is expensive or not, if it’s stored in the bottom of a box in the attic, it isn’t performing a function or adding value in your life.

-     Bottom line - Lesson learned.  Think carefully about your purchases in the future

6. It could be valuable

-     Research the value yourself or take it to be appraised. Then make the decision on whether to keep it, sell it, or discard it.

-     Bottom line - Its not worth anything sitting in a box in the attic

7. Collectables – it is part of my collection of _____________.

-     Collections are one of the top producers of clutter.  Most people don’t have enough space to properly store or display their collections. 

-     “Someday I will have a house large enough to display my collection”.  Upsizing your house to fit your stuff is expensive.  Is the stuff really that important?

-     It’s OK to love trains, but you don’t necessarily need a full train set in your home.

-     Bottom line – if the collection is a burden, it’s not a worthwhile hobby

8. I’m keeping it for posterity.  I’m keeping it to give to my kids when they are older.

-     How would you feel if your parent gave you boxes and boxes of stuff from your childhood?  If presented to you when you turned 18, it might be a lovely trip down memory lane for a few hours.  Then what?

-     Consider that keeping too many items from ‘the past’ contributes to trap of living in the past. 

-     Consider how you would feel if your parent had been collecting stamps (spoons, swords, action figures, rare coins, oil lamps, figurines, coffee mugs, cat themed ornaments, candle holders, etc) with the goal of giving it to you when they die?  Would you value and enjoy their collection or would you be burdened by it?  Would you know how to sell it for full value? Would you feel guilty selling it, even if that was your parent’s intention?

-     Bottom line - We do not need to be curators or purveyors of stuff for future generations.

9. Obligation – it belonged to my great grandmother

-     How many ‘things’ (if any) do I really need to honour this person’s memory?

-     Ask other family members if they want the item, let them know that if nobody else wants it, you intent to sell or donate it

-     Bottom line – your home is not a storage locker

10. I want the items to go to a good home

-     Finding the exact perfect beneficiary of your treasures can be paralyzing. (ie. waiting until your grand-daughter is old enough to wear your old high school graduation dress)

-     Bottom line – donating usable items to a charity or thrift store close to your home is a win-win solution.  It gets the items out of your house quickly, and the items will be used by someone who needs them.

11. I don’t know where to start or I can’t get motivated.

§    ‘ Delayed Discounting phenomena’ – if it takes a long time to reach a goal, you value the goal less than if you could reach it quickly – making it harder to get started.

§    Start with an objective and visualize the goal

§    Bottom line - make projects smaller and rewards immediate

Do you need help combatting clutter in your home or business?  As a professional organizer, I can help.

Heather Fulcher

Professional Organizer for Hire

Vancouver, BC, Canada

heatherfulcher@gmail.com

604-618-4829