Why You Have So Much Clutter
Clutter doesn’t just magically appear. Sometimes it can feel that way! But every object that makes up the clutter in your home came from somewhere, at some time, for some purpose.
This is why decluttering is only half the battle. In order to maintain an organized environment, you also have to be able to control the inflow of stuff.
That sounds pretty logical, right? But there’s a sneaky, toxic pattern at work that I see not just with my clients, but with friends and family as well. This pattern could be undermining all your best efforts to cut the clutter and stay organized. And you probably have never even noticed it.
The pattern: I have a problem, so I buy something to fix the problem.
Wait a minute. Why is that pattern so toxic? It seems perfectly logical to buy the things you need to fix your problems.
Here’s the issue: not every problem requires a purchase. There are many issues you come across in your daily life, whether major or minor, that you can solve using objects and resources you already have.
Let me prove it to you! Look up the very last thing you bought. Consumable or not, it doesn’t matter. Now ask yourself two questions:
What problem was I trying to solve with this purchase?
Are there any other ways I could have solved this problem without buying something?
I’ll go first! The last purchase I made was a latte at the airport. The problem I was trying to solve was making sure I didn’t get a caffeine headache on my travel day (I only drink 1 cup of coffee per day, but if I miss it, wow, the consequences are real). Another way I could have solved this problem without buying something would have been to get up a little earlier and make myself a cup of coffee at home. For me, this purchase didn’t create clutter - I could just recycle the coffee cup at the airport. But even a coffee, for some people, can create clutter if they habitually set down partially finished cups of coffee in their home or vehicle!
Now, solving a problem without a purchase does often take a little extra time, effort, or ingenuity in the moment. In a world of fast, easy, and cheap purchasing, it often feels more accessible to just click the Buy button. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and problem solving is no exception.
Everything you buy takes up space in your life in some way, and everything you buy must eventually leave your life - whether you use it up, throw it away, or declutter it. And removing something from your life can take even more time, effort, or ingenuity than you would have needed in the first place if you chose not to buy the item.
Bottom line: when purchase is our default, we just keep buying more stuff. And all of that stuff accumulates and becomes clutter. Stay tuned for next week when I explain my favorite strategy for combatting the default purchase pattern!
LMW
