Psychology of Clutter

(WSJ Graphic)

Clearing the clutter is like losing weight: periodic spurts of motivated progress punctuated by long periods of backsliding. Why is attacking clutter so difficult? It could be due to "psychological demons":

Difficulty letting go of your stuff can also go hand in hand with separation anxiety, compulsive shopping, perfectionism, procrastination and body-image issues. And the reluctance to cope can create a vicious cycle of avoidance, anxiety and guilt.

In most cases, however, psychologists say that clutter can be traced to what they call cognitive errors—flawed thinking that drives dysfunctional behaviors that can get out of hand. Among the most common clutter-generating bits of logic: "I might need these someday." "These might be valuable." "These might fit again if I lose (or gain) weight."

If I won't do it for myself, perhaps I can be motivated to do it for loved ones. As part of the final, great gift, I should not only get rid of as much stuff as possible, but also organize and label the items that I do keep. (For example, the old cup on the mantel was from my maternal grandmother, and the jade floral sculpture was a gift from a now-departed good friend.)

The biggest sources of clutter and the hardest to discard are things that hold sentimental meaning. Dr. Rego says it's natural to want to hang onto objects that trigger memories, but some people confuse letting go of the object with letting go of the person.

Final thought about cleaning up: if you won't make the decision, then someone else will, someone without your knowledge and perspective.