You and Your Stuff

Do you have too much stuff? Most of us would probably answer in the affirmative. I’ve lightened my material load considerably, but I still have too much stuff, too. Our relationship with our stuff can be complicated, thought. And it’s partly due to those complications that, instead of getting rid of some of it, we continue to accumulate more and more. Holding on to things becomes a habit.

My deep and now-abiding interest in clutter and having too much stuff (the two often go together) is related to the effect it has on the brain. Clutter tends to snag your attention on a regular basis and in dozens of different ways. It takes up space in your head that could be better occupied by something more productive or even just more interesting. You don’t have an unlimited amount of System 2 (conscious) attention. How much of it are you letting your stuff siphon off?

Not sure? Here are a baker’s dozen questions to ask yourself.

1. How much stuff are you holding onto because you might need it someday?
2. How much stuff are you holding onto because it has financial value or “might be” valuable?
3. How much stuff are you holding onto because it has sentimental value?
4. How much stuff are you holding onto simply because it’s already there?
5. How much stuff do you think you’re holding onto that you probably don’t even know you have?
6. How many clothes or shoes do you have that you no longer wear—or that don’t even belong to you?
7. How many drawers, cabinets, closets, countertops, and shelves are so full you can’t fit anything else in or on them?
8. How much work do you have to do before you can clean your living or work space?
9. How much time do you spend looking for things? Have you ever failed to respond to something because you lost track of the paperwork?
10. How much of your stuff needs to be repaired, refinished, repurposed, or recycled?
11. How often do you notice something in your living or work space and think “I really need to do something about that”?
12. Have you ever panicked at the thought of someone coming into your home and seeing the mess? Conversely, have you ever said, “You think your place is bad, you should see mine”?
13. How many times have you gotten everything in one area completely tidy and organized only to find the clutter slowly creeping back months, weeks, or even days later?

Maybe it’s time for you to take the plunge and clear some space. Clearing space isn’t the same as getting organized. (In fact, it’s possible to be an extremely well-organized hoarder.) Clearing space means getting rid of things you no longer use or need. After you’ve done that, you’ll probably find it much easier to organize what remains.

Clearing your physical space can have a profound effect on your well-being in many different ways. It can give you clarity. It can ease your mind. It can relieve you of at least some of the guilt, anxiety, or depression that often accompanies being weighed down by too much stuff. It can create space for something new.

Clearing space can change your life! It changed mine.