Welcome, clutter

By the time someone engages the services of a professional organizer, they have often had some sort of a precipitating event.  I like to think of it as the 3 D’s – a death, downsizing or divorce.  Of course, there are other reasons too but those significant life changes are big enough to prompt action in the most reticent.  Especially if you’ve been paying storage unit fees.

Clutter is viewed as an enemy.  Or an unwelcome guest.  A lot of times I’ll hear things like “Just get rid of it!” or “I am so tired of this crap!”  And boy, oh boy.  I GET IT. I love pitching stuff and have what is probably a pathological fondness for dumpsters. 

However, my view on this is changing.  I am learning to look at clutter as a messenger.  Instead of having an adversarial view of it, get curious about it and view it as an opportunity to understand yourself better. 

For example.  Is the storage unit really holding unprocessed grief that you’re having trouble letting go?  Are the baby items tucked away in the basement representing difficulty moving forward with life?  (After all, your babies are now in their 30s.)

Is the stuff you’re storing for your adult children representing your need for boundaries?  Is the wardrobe from 20 years and 30 pounds ago filling you with shame?

Another biggie – Fear of lack, otherwise known as I-might-need-this-someday-syndrome.

Sure, you can go on a pitch fest but it is the deeper work that provides sustainable results. First listen to what the clutter is trying to tell you.