One of my key realizations about happiness, and a point oddly under-emphasized by positive psychologists, given its emphasis in popular culture, is that Outer order contributes to inner calm. More than it should.
After all, in the context of a happy life, a messy desk or house is a trivial problem — yet I’ve found, and other people tell me they feel the same way, that getting control of the stuff of life makes me feel more in control of my life generally. (Even if this is an illusion, it’s a helpful illusion.)
But as much as most of us want to keep our home, office, car, etc. in reasonable order, it’s tough.
Here are some myths of de-cluttering that make it harder than it needs to be.
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Ring true? Yep. When we are taught not to waste things, we can end up unwittingly wasting time wondering what to do with these items. As suggested in your post, making two piles instead of 5 or 10 (I recommend 1. Salvation Army, and 2. The trash) can streamline a sudden motivated desire to rid yourself of some items. An opportunity like that can quickly come and go and leave you in the middle of wondering if Aunt Margaret would prefer the green or blue ceramic bowl!
Thanks for the post!
My mother has always been a “saver” and for that reason I’ve always been a “thrower” or “giveawayer.” I love getting rid of stuff as much as some other people love saving, so two thumbs up for this post!
It’s taken me months, but I’ve finally gotten organized and my home is almost completely clutter free. And as a Bipolar person, let me tell you how difficult that was to do. BUT, now that it’s done, I feel so much better. There is a sense of freedom when there’s order. My productivity has gone up as well. So, declutter and create order from chaos…
Good article. Looking forward to the book.
Gretchen, you have captured the essence of why so many of us live with clutter! All of these points are spot on. The only thing missing is a mention of how day-to-day tasks consume one’s time and derail all those good, de-cluttering intentions.