how clutter ends up in your home, and how to stop it.

most clutter i see in homes today is counterfeit happiness. the truth is not everyone with clutter hoards. not all clutter is “obvious” or easily discernible. and cost does not make something immune to becoming clutter. most things that morph into clutter come in the door with the promise of happiness. however, because of its owner’s lack (time / space / energy), it eventually finds itself in a room / closet / storage without ever fulfilling that original potential.

so, what’s missing? AN HONEST CONVERSATION.

if we ever want to live a truly clutter-free life, we have to be clear about our expectations. ask yourself (both before buying something +/or during a purge) the following Qs:

does this serve an immediate purpose in my life / our home?

will this be used / needed consistently? (consistently can be once a year – like holiday décor – but longer than that, and make sure fear isn’t why you cling to it.)

what kind of maintenance / energy does it require? THIS IS IMPORTANT. if you don’t have the bandwidth to take care of something, it is already clutter!

are you willing to let something else go to make room (time in your schedule / space in your house / energy for the day) for those needs?

it is by design that we ignore the realities of what happens after buying / acquiring something. we’re emotionally connected to the promise of a feeling / outcome. but those acquisitions pile up. and then we observe the clutter. and those observations leave us feeling overwhelmed, tired, confused, wishing it would take care of itself. 

what we are not familiar with is owning our contribution to it. this is why those Qs are SO IMPORTANT. it is there that YOU HAVE THE POWER to involve yourself in the positive change you want. own the role you play in the process, and your house and life will change much more effortlessly than you’d expect! xo