Clutter Clearing Myth-Buster
MYTH
CLEARING YOUR CLUTTER IS JUST
ABOUT GETTING RID OF EVERYTHING
Absolutely not! Another clutter myth perpetuated by the
TV decluttering programmes and organisational ‘experts’.
If it was true then you don’t need me, you just need half a dozen skips / dumpsters and some friends to help you empty your home into them. (DON’T!)
Sadly, this is a myth that both we and everyone else can often believe. For us we feel it ‘should’ be about getting rid of a lot of our ‘stuff’. For friends and family, it’s usually about getting rid of everything and starting again. There are 3 reasons why this myth is a myth.
1. Terminology
‘Getting Rid’ of everything.
No, no, no, no, no, no…….. NO. We NEVER EVER use this phrase at Clutter Clearing. We NEVER ‘Get Rid’ of things in our clutter. We don’t toss, throw away, bin, dump, scrap, discard, chuck, or trash things either.
These are all dangerously negative words and phrases that all have a negative effect on your brain because you brain interprets all these words and phrases as ‘no return’.
There’s no room for doubt with these words. You can’t change your mind. Your brain goes into panic mode because your brain feels backed into a corner.
It’s being forced to make a forever decision in a heartbeat, and it’s rarely ready to make it. So, to feel safe it decides to keep it – just in case.
Think about it. When you ‘get rid’ of something – where does it go? When you toss, throw away, bin, dump, scrap, discard, chuck or trash something, where does it go? Your brain defaults to hearing waste, landfill, never to be seen or used again. Can’t change your mind, unless you’re prepared to go scrabbling over piles of landfill.
I’ve heard stories many times of people who have tried to declutter on their own by having a blitz one day, putting things out for rubbish / trash collection, then sneaking out of their homes in the dead of night to go and rummage through the bins to ‘save’ things they realise they regret ‘getting rid of’.
Your brain is going to instantly be sent to the panic zone because when things go to landfill, you’re going to avoid the fear of no return by keeping it instead – ‘just in case’.
Change your terminology.
Start saying ‘Letting Go’
This is a kinder word for you and your brain. When you ‘let go’ of something, you’re passing it on to wherever it can be put to best use. That might be to the charity shop, to someone else, recycling it so it can be turned into something, and yes – maybe landfill is the best place to ‘let it go’ to, however you’re giving your brain safe choices so it won’t be sent into the panic zone and decide to hold on to things out of fear.
2. ‘Just’
Anyone who’s ever tried to ‘get rid’ of everything in a blitz will know that successful Clutter Clearing is never about ‘just’.
Successfully clearing your clutter is about way more than ‘just’ letting go of physical things in your clutter. It’s about understanding why you have your clutter challenge in the first place, discovering what habits, patterns and triggers you have.
It’s about learning to let go safely, and focus on the future – not easy to do when you’ve tried and failed so many times in the past to deal with your clutter. It’s about creating new, helpful habits that will help you stay clutter free. It’s about taking responsibility so you can take back control. It’s about discovering what’s comfortable and right for YOU. It’s about accepting you’re more than just the sum of your clutter. It’s about realising you can’t shine or live your best life when it’s hidden by the belongings of your past.
3. ‘Everything’
We should not and must not aim to get rid of ‘everything’. Hopefully you have some happy memories and wonderful experiences from the life you’ve lived so far, I’m sure you want a few things that trigger those memories in your clutter free home, and to keep them in a way that you can appreciate and access them quickly and easily (i.e. not hidden in a box at the back of the cupboard).
Consider Clutter Clearing as becoming a curator of your own collection of artworks and artifacts that relate to an amazing person – YOU. You’re curating an exhibition of your amazing life so far.
What to one person is a worthless piece of paper, may be to another a last note from a loved one. You’re the curator. You decide how it’s displayed, cherished and appreciated if it’s of high value to you in the present.
Not everything you have needs to be kept as part of the collection. You’ll need to pick out a couple of the most significant items for each chapter of your life. Choose the certificate that represents all the time, energy and effort you put in to achieving that qualification. Let go of all those study notes and text books that take up boxes and boxes in your home.
Remember to leave some space empty for all the amazing things you’ll have in the future to represent your Clutter Free life as you start to live your best life.
You’re going to have to be selective because there’s limited space in this unique exhibition centre called your home. You need space for people to be able to come in, look around, get curious, see things up close, stand back to admire, ask you questions. Everything you have in your collection is quickly and easily accessible, not kept in a self-storage unit away from the exhibition centre.
You’ll need to spotlight the best parts of your past to proudly share them with the visitors, so they can get to know a bit about you when they see them, and so you can easily share those memories and stories with them. You want tobe able to enjoy them too.
The next time someone tells you that all you need to do is ‘Just Get Rid Of Everything And Start Again’, educate them about the 3 reasons why you can’t.
If you’re ready to accept that clearing your clutter is NOT just about getting rid of everything, then find out how Clare can help you get started here now: https://www.clutterclearing.net/clares-help-centre/
