How can I get rid of all my clutter?
How can I get rid of all my clutter? I have been asking myself this question for decades. I have far too much stuff, and I find it stifling and overwhelming. It has developed into a real hoarding problem. Despite my best efforts, I have never seemed to manage to make much headway in trying to resolve it. Maybe you can identify with this too, and wonder how you can get rid of your own clutter.
Collecting
I developed my collecting instincts young. My mum collected coins and stamps, and I copied her. I had coin and stamp collections while I was in primary school, and it got quite addictive. In particular, I remember a Royal Mint competition where we had to collect a half penny, penny and two pence piece for each year that they had been issued. I was hooked. But it didn’t end there. I collected dolls’ clothes, jigsaws, erasers, novelty soaps, badges, magnets, Famous 5 books, James Herriot books, the list was endless. Later as a Brownie and then a Guide I was addicted to collecting all the badges I could.
In fact, as a child, I don’t ever remember throwing anything away. And not a lot has changed in my life since. I still have piles of things I don’t use or need. I still have all my notes from my GCSEs and A levels, as well as my University degree courses, and all my mortgage and financial advisor courses. And I still have all of the textbooks too.
And now I am addicted to collecting Pokemon in Pokemon Go. At least they are digital and don’t take up any room in my home!
This year, one of my main challenges to myself is to sort through all my stuff once and for all, and get rid of what I don’t need.
Yearning
I have realised that in order to be able to tackle my clutter mountain, I need to get to the root cause of why I have it in the first place. For me, there is something addictive about collecting, and I have a yearning to complete a collection once I have started. So now I bear that in mind before I buy anything. I don’t start new collections. Every book that I have bought in the last decade has been in Kindle format, so it doesn’t add to the problem.
Loss
I have a really hard time getting rid of anything, because I feel an emotional attachment to it. Trying to get rid of something that brings up sentimental memories causes me real anxiety and pain. It feels like a loss. Knowing this about myself, I try hard not to buy new items, so I am not creating problems that I will have to deal with further down the line.
But I know this isn’t the solution. I need to change my attitude to my existing belongings, so I can declutter my home and not be held hostage by items from decades ago.
Mindset
So, my plan for this year is to change my mindset towards my clutter. To become at peace with letting it go. And for this, I aim to delve into the psychology. I want to understand the science of why I feel the way I do. So that is my first point of call. My first mini project for 2021 is to research the psychology of cluttering. Hopefully at the end I will have an answer to the question “How can I get rid of all my clutter?”
Project 365
I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.
I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.
The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 356 days to go!
Why not check in on a regular basis to see how I am progressing, and what I have discovered?
I have decided to set up a blog, and to document my adventures in life through it.