Clutter. What exactly is it? Clutter defined lends towards this, messy, unorganized, or stuff taking up your space. Who of you end up feeling overwhelmed and exhausted just thinking about all the stuff just collecting and giving birth to new piles? In these piles you will find useful things, forgotten things, and things to be donated or let go of.
For me this is an emotional issue since I spent money on the item at one point in my life. Also there are the gifts in which my own money was not spent, but someone spent money on it. This can make it more difficult to part ways with things you simply don't need in your life anymore. Everything you own should have purpose or make you feel joy.
I'm not talking about the happy surge when you see the pretty new shiny thing and swipe the card. This is temporary and will make you feel even worse later. This is why I have come to the conclusion that, for some of us, emotions and feelings are more important than logic. Logic has never worked or clicked in my brain. But how does it make me feel? That clicks.
As we address the clutter in the room, I want to talk about 3 important aspects that will help us get organized. Emotional connection to stuff, understanding your personality, and knowing your color season.
Emotional Connection To Stuff
This truly is a love hate relationship. I hate the stuff but I love the stuff. It's not so much the stuff, but how it makes me feel. I also have the tendency to follow every whim and new creative idea. Impulsivity runs through my veins. You can imagine how this has made for a complicated relationship.
While working through my traumas, dealing with my emotional stuff, and working to understand the effects of growing up in disfunction, the emotional connection to owning, buying, or discarding items is very strong. I have lived both lives, one where there was just enough money to eat and have a place to live and one where money was not a scarcity.
Whether you can buy the stuff or can't doesn't really matter all that much. It doesn't add to your happiness, at least not long term. As Jesus said in the Bible, "A few things, though, are needed, or just one." We don't need the stuff to be happy, we can however be very content with our necessities. The simpler we keep our space, the more peace we can have.
As I begin to declutter my space once more, one small area at a time, I am making sure my stuff has a purpose and a place. I ask myself how does this item make me feel? What do I use it for? When I go to the store I also take a moment, hesitate, and ask myself If I really need it or if I spend my money on this thing will I regret it soon after. This didn't work yesterday on the pack of pens that I didn't really need, but I tried.
Tuning into the feeling of the situation has really helped me to curve my unnecessary spending. I'm not doing perfectly at it, but I'm doing better and the best I can in this moment in time.
Understanding Your Personality
What does personality have to do with it? Maybe it's personality or maybe it's a characteristic or a condition, but who you are plays a huge role in how your space looks and feels. I'll share a few of my own "things". I'm an INFP so I end up interested in many different hobbies, business ventures, and fun things like playing DDR.
I never understood my personality fully until after my divorce a few years ago. I started to live my life and figure out who I was again. It was at this time that I started to connect all of the dots. Things I had learned growing up, things that had shaped me, and the connection it has with my present actions. I'm an impulsive procrastinator who gets lost in her own world of creativity and fantasy.
If you don't understand why you do the things you do, you may end up feeling like a failure or just lost in this world of 9 to 5. The impulsivity and lack of logic when it comes to finances is a beast. I have needed to learn who I am, accept who I am, and love who I am. I wish the same for you. I'm not saying it's not a struggle, but at least when you can see the light of logic and reason, some stability can enter your world.
With all of that being said, we must understand ourselves so that we can know what we want and need in our space. I need a creative space that I can leave messy if I want to. I need a sleeping space with not too light and not too heavy of a blanket and of course fuzzy kitty cuddles. I need a kitchen that is simple, because there will be no organization in the cupboards. Also, I generally forget about every single item I put in the cupboard.
I need a simple, compartmentalized, warm, comfortable living space. NOT filled to the brim with stuff! I kind of hate the stuff.
Know Your Color Season
I have spent years shopping the wrong style and wrong color. Have you ever put something in your cart, thinking wow this is so super cute! You get home and it's all wrong. The fit, the color, the material, the style. Don't get me wrong, it's the correct size, but you haven't considered all of the dimensions. And of course you have already ripped the tags off and tried to wear it.
I have a sensitivity to certain materials, hate tags (especially ones that stab you in the side), can't wear elastic that is just a hair tight fitting, and my list can go on. It's not good when you actually only wear about 30% of your closet or shoes. Clothes can add so much clutter in our space! Especially all of those, well I might wear this one day pieces.
I end up not wearing clothing for a few reasons. It didn't dawn on me until recently I thought to ask myself why. Why don't I wear it? Why do I wear it? Why is it in a pile or taking up my closet? Why did I buy it? How does it make me feel? I took every single piece of clothing and asked myself these questions. It was a bittersweet goodbye to some of my "favorites".
What I learned is what not to buy anymore, but I also realized that I wasn't wearing my correct color palette. After doing an extensive color test I finally discovered that I'm a Bright Spring. I always thought I was Warm Autumn because of my brown features and golden skin. Nope, I am not a Warm Autumn. Many of my pieces would wash me out and I didn't feel like I looked good.
Knowing your color will do wonders for your closet and your confidence!
Ready To Love Your Life
The answer is not to buy more, it is to appreciate what you have, and only buy what you truly need and want in your space. Debt brings anxiety, worry, and regret. Simplicity brings lightness and contentment. Love your life, not your stuff. This is what I keep working toward every day.
It is not easy to simplify or maintain a simple life. We are bombarded with adds of shiny new stuff everywhere we look. In this fast moving life it's sometimes hard to understand why we do certain things or feel a certain way at times. I never realized how miserable certain clothing made me feel or why I would just buy more that made me feel the same way. Now that I know what I can wear, my life is so much lighter! In more ways than just my space! It may seem weird, but it's true.
As we learn who we are, what we enjoy, what we need in our space, the chaos of life won't seem so overwhelming. When we understand what truly makes us feel good about our lives, our decisions, our goals, it's easier to manage our budget. Knowing why we like to wear a certain material or style can help us avoid wasting purchases on items we will come to despise. Know your colors and feel bright and happy in your simple wardrobe.
Love your life today. Let's keep it simple.
