There are many reasons why we hang on to clutter. Laura Benko-Ceriello offers a glimpse into the psychology of clutter and how it affects our lives as well as some solutions for dealing with it all.
A need for abundance
Symptoms: Buying and storing in bulk; cooking in mass; feeling guilty if you waste or throw things out.
Solutions: Give everything a home. It’s OK to have stuff, but try to keep it in organized locations.
Unclear goals, priorities
Symptoms: Taking on too much; feeling scattered; bouncing from one thing to another; accumulating things you don’t use.
Solutions: Narrow things down. Create a system that suits your way of living and thinking so you’ll stick with it.
Fear of success or failure
Symptoms: Using disorganization to hold yourself back; making excuses rather than taking baby steps forward.
Solutions: Allow yourself to exceed your own expectations– start with small tasks with realistic goals.
A need to retreat
Symptoms: Using clutter to provide insulation and a feeling of safety.
Solutions: Give yourself a lift. Start with a room you love and keep only what you absolutely love.
Fear of losing creativity
Symptoms: Believing that chaotic, disorganized surroundings enhance creativity.
Solutions: Remember that being organized releases rather than constricts creativity.
Sentimental attachments
Symptoms: Holding on to the past; not letting go of objects that no longer serve you and that you may not even like.
Solutions: Offer furniture and family mementos to relatives who may appreciate or need them more than you. If you don’t like it, give it to someone who does.
Perfectionist tendencies
Symptoms: Having unfinished projects; thinking nothing is ever good enough; needing to control.
Solutions: Let others help. Start with a small project and follow through to completion.
“Just-in-case” clutter
Symptoms: Holding on to things in case you might need them in the future.
Solutions: Trust that the universe will provide for you. If you need that item again, trust that it will come to you in some way.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Ben Delery (bdelery@tribune.com)
