So you should now have a good idea of why having lots of clutter in your life is bad. You can hopefully see those disadvantages in your life and how they are affecting you. That should give you some extra motivation to bring it all down to acceptable levels. But that still doesn’t explain why so many people actually keep clutter despite all of those negative qualities? What thoughts go through our head that make us fill our lives with junk? How do we justify keeping clutter rather than getting rid of it? People often have the wrong expectations of what de-cluttering actually involves and much of this book attempts to dispel those ideas. Most of the time people think it involves a complete clear-out of anything that doesn’t serve a purpose in their life. That’s a lot of stuff that you’d need to get rid of it… if that was really the case. It’s not so much the amount of stuff you get rid of, but how you organize what you have. Over the next several pages I will discuss exactly what excuses we use and how invalid they are. As before, some of these points you will relate to more than others but remember that you will have used all these excuses at some point to justify keeping stuff.

It’s expensive or it cost me a lot of money

Something doesn’t sound right when you have a costly item all mixed up with the rest of your junk and clutter but it happens all too often. The cost doesn’t bother people that much when they decide to shove it away in the closet so why should it be such a problem when they are trying to get rid of it? I had an old laptop stored away in various places for years. Because it had been so expensive to buy I struggled to come to terms with getting rid of it even though it was practically worthless now. What if I could still somehow make use of it? What if I could repair it? Of course it’s painful that something you invested so much money into ends up becoming useless clutter, but look on the bright side; you can probably sell it on and get some money back if it is really worth as much as you envisage. Thanks to the joys of the internet, there are plenty of options for selling on your old clutter. Speaking of selling stuff on…

I don’t have time to sort through it all

Yet you have time for everything else? This is a common excuse for a lot of people because who really cares about a little clutter, right? It can’t make much difference to my life surely? The great benefit of de-cluttering is that by regularly putting a little bit of focus into it you can actually save so much time in the long run. No more wasting time digging through boxes trying to find your shoes, looking to find space for your latest toy in a bulging wardrobe, wading through a big pile of paperwork to find that forgotten about bill… you get the point? Once you are on top of the clutter in your home it’s almost a natural (and quick) process to stick with it. And it’s not as hard work as you might imagine, especially if you follow the suggestions in this book. If you try to find the motivation and time to do one big de-cluttering splurge (as many sources will suggest you do) rather than taking small, regular steps (as I propose you do) you are of course likely to fail. Who wants to waste their weekend or holiday time spending hours sorting junk out?

I might be able to sell it on someday

What makes you think you can or will sell it on in the future? What’s stopping you from selling it on now and making some space in your life? Don’t overestimate the true worth of your junk, you might have some antiques or potential collector’s items in there but everything else will likely be worth next to nothing. Second hand goods are rarely worth much, especially as so many stores and companies are now branching into cheap, value products. If you honestly feel your collection of Beano and Dandy annuals or that candle holder your grandmother gave you will bring you a decent amount of money in the future (and you’ve actually done the research to validate that belief) at least store them away properly and securely, and not have them stuffed away under everything else in the corner of the garage where they will get damaged and definitely lose their value.

If I do it I’ll never get it spotless

That’s most likely true if you were aiming to make it perfect. However, permanently tidy, organized homes are are only ever seen in glossy fashion magazines, showroom brochures or in homes that rarely get lived in in the first place. For whatever reason many people think this perfect state is the ultimate goal when de-cluttering. Aiming for perfectionism in anything is going to be stressful and though de-cluttering is a valuable exercise it’s still only a small part of a bigger picture. The trick is to maintain an healthy level of clutter and have as much organization as your life requires. Doing any more is counter-productive. That way you are free to focus your energies on the bigger picture issues such as your work and family.

I would feel guilty getting rid of so much stuff

Recycle it then. Sell it on, give it away to your friends or to charity shops… there are so many options nowadays. Just because you have no use for your junk doesn’t mean someone else can’t do something with it. And if you really can’t get rid of it all using guilt-free measures you will just have to come to terms with it. I wish I could provide something more enlightening and cheerful but one way or another all your stuff will get disposed of eventually (nice, morbid thought for you there) so you’re best off doing it now when your life can benefit from it and you won’t end up burdening somebody else.

It was a gift/present or it has nostalgic value

We receive gifts and presents on a regular basis, whether it be for our birthdays, an anniversary or even due to a good performance at work or school. If the gift is useful that’s great. It serves a purpose and as a result improves your life in some way. However, most gifts and presents are gimmicky and something you wouldn’t typically buy for yourself, so they ultimately provide nothing of value to you beyond feelings of nostalgia. Sorry, but those joke socks with big baubles hanging off them that you bought for your friends at Christmas really won’t change their lives in any meaningful way and probably never even got worn. Nice thought though.

The big problem is that you often feel obligated to keep gifts and presents, if for nothing more than because someone went to the trouble of buying them for you in the first place, and you’d feel guilty for getting rid of them. Let’s face it though, how many presents can you actually remember buying for people? Not many I bet. The worst case scenario is that you might need to put that tacky vase your aunt Mary bought you out on display for a few weeks to keep her sweet when she visits, but she will quickly forget all about it. For my 21st birthday people unsurprisingly bought me lots of 21st birthday themed gifts (basically photo-frames and mugs with a big “21″ emblazoned on them). Thanks guys, but those presents really have a limited lifespan (try a week after my birthday) and I don’t think anyone noticed that I had lost them by the time my next birthday came around.

My life will lose meaning

We as a society are becoming increasingly superficial and obsessed with aesthetics. As a result we often view our worth in terms of the possessions we have, how we compare to others and what everyone thinks of us. I know people who keep some snazzy piece of technology out on display just to impress their friends even though they never actually use it and it takes up so much space. Likewise, people will have shelves full of books so as to look clever and intellectual despite the fact they might have read the books once (or not even read them at all) and then forgotten all about them. However, would you prefer to look good on a superficial level in front of people or have long term peace of mind that comes from living a de-cluttered and frugal lifestyle?

It’s better to be safe than sorry

It would be awful if you had thrown that old letter out and then suddenly found that you actually needed it, right? Wouldn’t it be terrible if you ran out of conditioner and you’d got rid of that two year old spare bottle? How bad would it be if you had given away an old DVD and then suddenly had the urge to watch it again? Well, no actually, it wouldn’t be that bad. These are examples of worst-case situations that run through people’s heads when they contemplate de-cluttering. In reality if you run out of conditioner it’s because you didn’t bother to buy any more when the bottle was running low and if you throw an important letter out it’s because you didn’t file it away safely in the first place. As for that DVD you’re missing just rent it if you really want to satisfy that urge. De-cluttering is a gradual process. You never really clear your life 100% of clutter and if you’re not sure whether you really need something or not, you don’t have to get rid of it. However, when you do try to get rid of something don’t be stifled by the fear of any consequences you head will imagine up.