How to Beat 3 Blocks that Keep You Cluttered

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You may not realize it, but you could be harboring some beliefs that make it difficult (or even impossible) to declutter and stay that way.  These are common mindsets that can hold us back.  If you're struggling to declutter, it's time to identify the thoughts that are making it so hard.


Hummel figurines



Decluttering block #1: I hate tossing things out.


I think we can agree that throwing things out feels wasteful and bad.  Especially if your parents or grandparents lived through the Depression or the World War II era, this mindset runs deep.  The urge to keep everything (even things that are broken) will be stronger if you or your family have a history of trauma or hoarding.  You might not even be aware of how strong this inner compulsion is until you start trying to declutter.


If you find it hard to get rid of broken, frayed, outgrown, neglected, or otherwise unused things, see if one of these reminders can help:


1.  The reprimand might not be coming from you.

Your aversion to tossing out an old item might be handed down from an ancestor who actually needed all those bits and pieces.  Did you know that fearful memories can be passed down through two or more generations of lab mice?  I know my mom's fear of deep water came from her mom, and maybe from her mother before her.


2.  You may believe in scarcity.

Your ancestors might have kept everything because they were living in a time of scarcity.  Food, clothing, and other things may have been difficult to come by.  That's why my mom went to school in dresses made from flour sacks.  Why waste that bag?


Thankfully, most of us aren't living on the edge.  In fact, if you have a problem with clutter, I'd say your difficulty is too much rather than too little.  It's time to let go of your fear of scarcity.


3.  Confront the real problem.

Because we live in time of abundance (too much stuff, too much busyness, too much information), our problem isn't whether we should discard things.  The problem is how much we accumulate.


Maybe it feels easier to keep everything than to change our shopping and acquiring habits.  Sale at Target?  I'm there, even if I don't need anything.  After all, it's cheap and I might use it!  So what if I'm adding to the pile of dusty clutter in my house?


If you're upset by getting rid of unusable and/or unused things, let that feeling prevent you from buying so much in the future.





Decluttering block #2: What if this is worth something in the future?


Let's make a list of things that we've hung onto because we were told they might be valuable someday:

  • Barbie dolls
  • Beanie Babies
  • state quarters
  • Star Wars collectibles
  • collector's plates
  • action figures
  • ... and more

Can we acknowledge that it's ridiculous to buy a doll, action figure, or stuffed animal and expect kids to keep them in the box and not play with them for the next few decades?  And how many collectibles have been touted as valuable "investments," only to go out of fashion or become commonplace after a decade or two?  Hummel figurines, anyone?  Norman Rockwell plates?  Longaberger baskets?  Thomas Kinkade paintings?  Like Grandma's silver-plated tea service, these items now sell for very little, if you can sell them at all, even though the original investment might have been hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.


What we fail to consider when we keep all of these things is that we're still paying for them.  We pay with time, energy, and maybe even actual cash.  The price of carting clutter around with you for decades costs time packing, maintaining, and storing these things.  The effort to sell takes time and a certain amount of hassle.  And if we insure them or rent storage space, we have to pay those bills too.


Instead of gambling on the hope that your clutter might net you some profit, why not cease buying it and put the money in a high-yield savings account instead?  That's a sure bet.





Decluttering block #3: I might need this someday.


Deep down, many of us have the fear that if we get rid of those old power cords or the random keys in the junk drawer, we'll wake up one day desperately needing those exact items.  There's also the fear that if we donate an item we don't like or use, the person who gave it to us will show up at our door one day demanding to know where it is.


Neither of those scenarios is likely, but we may still struggle to declutter.


It's just possible that if we learn to let go of things we don't need, we'll gain more confidence in other areas of life.  If we can stop holding so tightly to random bits and pieces, we might become more bold, resilient, creative, and open-minded.  If we can stop worrying about what if, we might free ourselves to try even more new things.


Here are questions you could ask to calm your nerves about decluttering:

  • Have I needed this item in the past year?
  • Do I own something else that fulfills the same function as this item?
  • What's the worst thing that could happen if I got rid of this?

If all else fails, try putting these questionable items on hold.  An On Hold box lets you clear clutter without having to take the step of removing it immediately from your home.  Store anything you're afraid to get rid of in the box.  Tape it up, and label it with a date six months to one year in the future.  After that time, if you haven't needed any of the items (and/or can't even remember what's in the box), donate or toss without guilt or fear.





Get ready for easier decluttering.


I hope debunking these three big decluttering blocks helps you start removing what you don't want or need so you can feel more comfortable and in control of your home.  Remember that you don't have to rush this process.  You can take your time, make small moves, and still have a big impact.







DECLUTTERING book
A beautiful, spacious, uncluttered home may feel like an impossible dream, but it doesn't have to be.


Decluttering, my pocket-size A to Z guide, breaks the process into manageable tasks.  It's the cheat sheet you've needed to keep you on track, bringing that larger, cleaner, more organized home within reach.  Get started with Decluttering, then look for the rest of my Minimalist Basics series, all on Amazon.*


* This blog is reader-supported.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.


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