I lived this excuse for a very long time. As long as I wasn’t fully “settled” and knew I would one day live in another home, I felt the need to keep things. Surely, my next home would have a space for that.
And obviously, if I had a bigger home, I’d be organized . . .
Duh.
Because of this mindset, I don’t remember much about my college dorm room other than clutter.
When I lived alone in a one-room apartment, I answered the door by opening it just enough to peek out.
I didn’t want anyone to see the mess inside.
Our newlywed apartment included a table that was 75% covered in stuff at all times. Boxes lined the walls and an entire room full of stuff waited to eventually be moved into a “real” home.
Once we moved into our first house, I realized how much excess we had, but it was so hard to pare down. It was in our third house (our forever house), that I no longer had an excuse. That’s where I hit rock-bottom and started my deslobification process.
I’m not big on worrying about stuff that’s over and can’t be changed. But . . . if I had it to do over again . . . I would have LIVED in whatever space I had at the moment.
This is my goal for the rest of my life. Live where I am. Not for where I may be someday.
You might need a bigger house. Or maybe you just have things you don’t actually need in the house where you are living right now.
Once I started really decluttering, my house didn’t seem too small anymore.
If you want to declutter but you’re totally overwhelmed, check out my book: Decluttering at the Speed of Life. It’s available wherever books are sold in whatever format you prefer (paperback, digital, audio).
It is thorough. It isn’t intimidating. It’s written by someone who totally understands how you feel and to whom this stuff does NOT come naturally.
Me. I’m talking about me. The same me who wrote this post so you already know I’m not kidding when I say decluttering doesn’t come naturally to me.
There’s also a ton of information available for free here on the site including blog posts, videos, and podcasts. Learn more here.
Selina says
We have added on to our house 2 times in the 19 years we have been here. Once to put a second story on our ranch and once to add a 2 car garage to our already existing 1 car garage. And every time we have added on we have added more clutter. Growing up we had 6 people living in a 1000 sq. ft. house and it never seemed cluttered-small at times with 6 people-but never cluttered. I live in a 2400 sq. ft. house with a basement and 3 car garage and I feel the clutter all. the. time. Thank you, Dana , for all you show us. While it’s hard when my husband and daughter still hold onto things that drive me crazy, I know that if I start with me that little bit helps.
Joy says
Hi Dana! I’ve felt this way but when I declutter, I see that we actually aren’t even using all our rooms, except as storage. I found you earlier this year and you’ve been such a blessing and a huge relief. I never understood that I had TPAD (and I do!!). I also have perfectionism and a heap of guilt over all the stuff I’ve bought. Your podcasts, books and this blog have given me a way to start getting decluttered. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Have a happy new year!
Mellen says
Wow! This one hit home!
We bought our home as a fixer upper. We were newlyweds and it was what we could afford. There were literally no closets and few cupboards.
That was 25 years ago.
We have fixed it up, remodeled and redone almost the whole house; and yep, we’re still not done. We chose not to go into more debt while fixing the house. So projects get done after we’ve saved enough money for said project.
This perpetual state of undone-ness has left us living off piles, out of boxes and storage containers, and me buying more stuff to organize and hold it all. Living and accumulating more stuff has led me to looking at bigger houses and daydreaming for years, coveting bigger homes so “finally all our stuff will fit and be organized”.
Thank you, Nony.
Thank you for helping me see what I have and don’t need. Admittedly it will take me a VERY LONG time to declutter & get my home where it should be, but I’m on the road to recovery thanks to your perspective and willingness to share it. You have blessed me.
Lucy says
You are SO right, when I moved into my forever house (where I am now) I had the loft floor boarded just for Christmas decorations, suitcases and other seasonal stuff we use every year but only for short periods, I was persuaded to get it all done not just the space that I actually needed. Now the whole loft is ram packed with all sorts of stuff that I couldn’t even get to the decorations this Christmas, stuff I could and should get rid of, or at least put it where it belongs like random groceries that I shoved up there because people where coming over and the house was a mess!
EngineerMom says
Yes!
I find it easier to keep smaller spaces neat and clean because there are just fewer places to stash random clutter, and it’s much faster to clean than having to wade through all the chaos that can accumulate in a larger home.
Caryn says
Great post. I hate my kitchen. Part of the problem has been too much stuff rather than too little storage. I’ve made some strides in the last couple of months on decluttering and organizing, which have helped a lot.
My office and guest room are both smallish (8′ X 10′). I was pleased with how taking out the cubes I’d been using for tables, two per room, really opened up things. Excellent example of less is more!