The Good News About Clutter
Written by A. J. Miller
Hard times provide an opportunity to ask hard questions and several times in the last year I have heard clients overwhelmed by their clutter wonder out loud, “Why did I buy all this stuff?” The answer is that our economy is driven by material consumption so it constantly needs and encourages us to spend money on “stuff”. However, because times are hard now, people have cut down or completely stopped spending money on unnecessary things and have even begun to realize how unnecessary so many things are.
If lack of focus and clarity; feeling stuck; increased stress, irritability, guilt, embarrassment and depression, wasted time and money are some of the negative effects of clutter, what could possibly be good about having clutter? Simply this: clutter is an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the abundance in your life and share those things that you don’t use or love with others. Giving away, donating or selling the unneeded and unwanted in your life can help someone else who needs them to live a better life. Not only will you feel good because you’re doing good, but it will be easier for you to find, use and put away things that you love and use regularly. Let go of anything that cost a lot, but you don’t like or use; that you fear you might need someday, but could easily replace IF that day ever comes; that doesn’t fit or hasn’t been worn in a long time or is no longer loved.
Sharing your abundance with others can make a real difference in your life because clearing out clutter isn’t just about cleaning out your physical space; it’s about creating the mental space for possibility, fresh starts and the future you truly want. When the accumulation of clutter is emotionally based, it’s crucial that you understand your attachment to your clutter before you release it. If you do, you’ll be able to fulfill that emotional need in a more positive, productive way or determine that you no longer have that need at all. Releasing things in your life that are not useful frees you from the past - which is over and gone, relieves you from hoarding for the future - which is not guaranteed to any of us and allows you to live at ease in the present - which is all we really have. “Stuff” is not and will never be salvation. If you live with clutter, you see every day that “stuff” does not bring happiness. Real meaning in life is what brings true and lasting happiness. So, share your abundance with others; limit your relationship with “stuff”; spend more time with the people you love and do more of the things you love to do. Let your clutter lead you to a happier, more fulfilling life by letting it go.
Article author
About the Author
A.J. Miller is a residential and business organizing expert and popular speaker based in New York City and a past board member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) New York Chapter. She writes a column on getting organized, clutter control, time management, living more simply, increasing productivity, how being organized reduces stress and other related topics for a local NYC newspaper and the blog, Don't Agonize. Organize!, which can be read at http://millerorganizing.com/blog/. You can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/millerorganizin and connect with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MillerOrganizing. A.J. can be contacted by email at AJ@MillerOrganizing.com or by phone at (212) 228-8375. You can also visit her on the web at http://MillerOrganizing.com.
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