The Psychology of Clutter
It’s generally assumed that our relationship to our things is something entirely under our control. We buy things because we like them, and we hold onto them until we don’t want or need them anymore. More often than not, however, there’s more to it.
We hold onto things we don’t use anymore, and we buy things we know we don’t really need (or we buy them because we think we’ll need them). This psychological process is one that goes undercover, influencing our relationship with our space and belongings until we don’t even remember how we got to where we are in the first place.
Understanding the psychology of clutter – the why behind holding onto what we have and what keeps us attached to our things – can help you in the process of decluttering and organizing your space. You can learn your own barriers to decluttering and create a process for organization that works for you.
Nostalgia Plays a Role in the Psychology of Clutter
You’re cleaning out your basement when you uncover stacks and stacks of old papers, folders, and binders from when you were in school. Excitedly, you reread through old notes and reminisce on your high school days… and before you know it, you’ve sat there for a couple hours and stopped cleaning entirely! You might find yourself wondering, why do I even have all this anyway?
Nostalgia plays a huge factor in what we hold onto. We love to remember the good old days, and tangible items help us do that, even if only every decade when you clean out the basement. If you’re looking to downsize and declutter, think about what you’re holding onto and what might cause attachment to these things. What does it do for you to hold onto all your homework from the 7th grade, and are there ways to reminisce and remember without the excess clutter? This doesn’t mean you need to get rid of everything you’ve held onto from your past, but it’s a good starting point when evaluating the material you’ve held onto.
Understanding What’s Important
Whether you listen to Marie Kondo and only keep what sparks joy or focus on achieving minimalism in order to get more organizing, prioritizing what’s really important to keep plays a key role in understanding the psychology of clutter and starting the decluttering process.
When it comes to old files, documents, tools, and other utensils, things may pile up simply because you’re not sure what’s important to keep and what you can discard. You may need it in the future, so you think it’s best to hold onto it until you know for sure. For important documents, the rule of thumb is to keep documents for seven years before discarding them. Last year’s tax forms? Keep them in a folder where you’ll know to go looking for them should they be needed. Your tax documents from 2010? Okay to shred in most cases.
When it comes to other tools and utensils, think about how often you use them and how much value they actually add to your life. This will look different for everyone. Maybe you have a tool that sits in your basement for most of the year but gets used daily around the holidays. It does get used and can be stored to be ready when you need it! That third can opener you’re keeping just in case the other two break. It should find its way into the donation bin!
Paying attention to what you really use and what you don’t, or what can be replaced with another tool that does get used, can help you declutter and downsize your belongings.
How Understanding the Psychology of Clutter Can Help with Overwhelm
Many people keep a hold of belongings because they’re afraid letting go of the thing means diminishing the memory or the person who gave you the thing. We have emotional attachment to things, not because of the things but because of the people and memories we associate with them. Separating your emotions about the person or place from the actual object can help you be able to decide what objects you really want and need versus ones that you can let go of.
Sometimes, it’s simply difficult to know where to start and easy to become overwhelmed. If you’ve spent years accumulating stuff, it’s easy to look at all you own and all that you want to organize and feel there’s no way to begin. The process of organizing and decluttering takes time, and it’s okay to start slow.
Start with one room, and sort through the contents of it on the weekends and when you have free time. You can sort through what you want to keep, donate or give away, and what needs to be thrown out. Once you’re done with one room – or even one drawer – you can move on. You can set goals for yourself without creating undue pressure. This is a project that’s meant to work for you and improve your space and life. It doesn’t have to look a certain way - it only needs to work for you.
There are many reasons why people struggle to declutter and organize. Your life and your lifestyle will impact both what creates the need for organization in the first place and how you go about doing that organizing. Understanding the barriers to beginning this process and getting a clearer handle on the psychology of clutter can help you create solutions that work for you and your family and help you get started.
As always, our team is here to help you take a more objective look! Get in touch.