Do not sabotage your desire for a clutter-free home
Why clutter is a psychological issue – and 10 easy steps to overcome it. Lisa Salmon
Is your home full of stuff you might not need, but you haven’t got round to clearing out?
Possibly it’s because it brings back memories, or you can’t decide what to do with it – so you’ve ended up with a house full of clutter.
“Ultimately, clutter is decisions that haven’t been made,” says psychotherapist and interior designer Helen Sanderson (helensanderson.com), author of The Secret Life Of Clutter.
“Things end up in a pile, container or drawer because that seems easier than deciding where to put them or what to do with them.
“You say, ‘I’ll deal with that later’, and probably mean it.
“But weeks, months or even years later, it’s still there, buried beneath countless subsequent things you’ve not processed.”
Sanderson says there are many reasons people avoid decisions in this way. “It’s often because of the meaning and emotions we attach to our possessions,” she says.
“Memories of a trauma, or an unrealised creative project get stirred when we open those drawers.
“Sometimes it’s simply a busy
life, or never having learned how to create order in the home. Usually, it’s some combination of these.”
So, while on the surface, clutter is about how we deal with physical stuff, it’s often rooted in something deeply psychological, explains Sanderson, who says although we often want to create beautiful, clutter-free homes, something in our psychology sabotages that. “Regardless of how much decluttering you do, if you don’t identify and address those underlying issues, the clutter will inevitably come back,” she says. “Once you truly understand
what’s underneath your clutter, and listen to the story it has to tell, it empowers you to make a deeper shift and make room for your clutter-free home. However, she’s not suggesting people clear everything out. “I certainly don’t encourage the people I work with to live in pristine, ascetic white spaces,” says Sanderson. “I believe there’s a balance to be struck in our homes between chaos and order, allowing us clear, harmonious spaces that give us room to think while still having a healthy amount of stuff that we love, find useful, or simply don’t want to lose.”
The Secret Life Of Clutter: Getting Clear, Letting Go And Moving On by Helen Sanderson is published by Piatkus, priced £16.99. Available now.