Imagine a life where every corner of your home is clutterfree. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
It’s a common goal, but far from reality for many.
That being said, very few people want to live life surrounded by clutter, yet so many of us do—drowning in things we don’t need. Things that, instead of helping us fulfill our purpose, add stress to our daily lives and keep us from it.
How did we end up here?
It’s important to realize that this happens not just because of the constant barrage of advertisements, the endless clamor of marketers, or even the pressure from society to own more (although those are partial causes).
The root of the problem often lies in the myths we hold about the things we own and what our possessions represent.
To help, let’s break down nine common myths about clutter you need to let go of.
Understanding why these beliefs aren’t true or helpful can help us live more purposefully and in a clutterfree home.
Myth #1: I’m Just a Messy Person
This myth makes us think that being messy is just who we are and that we can never change that. It’s an excuse not to try.
But here’s the thing: being organized is a skill you can learn. Your predisposition doesn’t have to be your future.
By changing how we think and taking small steps, we can all create new habits. And our habits either serve us or hamper us. They can always be changed.
And everybody can find a pathway to owning less.
Myth #2: I Need All My Stuff
This myth comes from one of two places: 1) a scarcity mindset believing you’ll never have enough or 2) misconceptions about how much we actually need. Regardless, the myth results in us holding onto everything as if it were all super important.
But feeling secure comes not from possessions, but from living your life to the best of your ability. When we learn to tell the difference, we can keep our homes filled with only the items that help us pursue our passions. And we become freed to look for security elsewhere.
Myth #3: All These Things Make My Life Better
Perhaps the most common myth of them all… buying more stuff will make me happier.
New possessions bring a short-term burst of joy, but that quickly fades as we settle back to our baseline feelings of happiness. Even worse, having too much stuff makes our homes confusing and messy (the very opposite of happiness).
A home with less clutter actually does help us feel better and helps us focus on what’s important—showing us that owning less is the better way to live.
Myth #4: My Stuff Isn’t Hurting Anyone
If myth #3 helps us understand why we accumulate so much, myth #4 defines why we keep it.
We often think to ourselves, “Sure, maybe my new purchase didn’t bring long-term happiness and now just sits on a shelf in the basement, but what’s the harm with that?”
This belief ignores how clutter directly affects us. Every physical possession we own takes up physical space in our home and mental space in our mind. It is not a net neutral on our lives, it is a net negative.
By noticing how clutter affects us and our home in negative ways, we motivate ourselves to take steps to make our homes a more peaceful and purposeful place.
Myth #5: I’ll Use It Someday
This myth keeps us holding onto things for a “someday” that never comes.
To help overcome this stubborn myth, consider this: If we haven’t used something for a long time, it’s probably not as important as we think. And even if we do end up needing it, there’s almost always another solution available to us.
Also, remember from the myth above. Holding onto things in cases we need them isn’t a positive. Clutter negatively affects us. Letting go helps us live more free and intentional lives, surrounded by things that actually bring benefit to our lives.
Myth #6: It Was a Gift, So I Have to Keep It
Gifts can make us feel guilty, like we have to keep them forever. But the real point of a gift is the thought behind it, not the thing itself. Almost nobody wants to burden you with a gift, they want to bless you. And if their gift isn’t bringing you joy, they don’t want you to keep it.
I should mention, unfortunately, there are some people who are unhealthy gift givers and do add expectations to the things they give you. But an item given with expectations attached isn’t a gift, it’s a bribe.
Myth #7: I Don’t Have Time to Declutter
Many of us think decluttering takes too much time. And depending on your starting point, that might be entirely true.
But decluttering is always something we can do little by little. Of course, as Zoë Kim says, “You can always delcutter just a little bit at a time, but do you really want to be decluttering for the rest of your life.”
The best approach is to rearrange your schedule temporarily to make progress in the most-used areas of your home. The more time you invest decluttering, the more time comes back to you in terms of efficient living. But even those of you with an immovable busy schedule can make some progress.
Myth #8: My Stuff is Part of My Identity
This myth makes us think our things show who we are. We’re known for having the big house, the fancy decorations, or the full closet of designer clothes or luxury handbags.
If you fall prey to this myth, remember, we’re always changing and growing, and our stuff can’t capture all of that. Even more, maybe the person we are becoming is about to be identified not by possessions, but by more meaningful pursuits and passions.
Letting go of things that don’t fit who we are trying to become makes room for new growth and discoveries.
Myth #9: It’s Wasteful to Get Rid of It
Feeling guilty about waste can make us keep things we don’t use. But having clutter isn’t helpful to anyone.
Giving things away, recycling, or selling them lets them be useful elsewhere, which is a much better way to avoid waste. And if we’re holding onto items that quite frankly belong in the landfill, it might be helpful to remember that that item is going to end up there anyway—either now or later.
It’s always important to dive deep into the mindsets and beliefs that have crafted the life we live. This is especially true if we’re surrounded by clutter in our home.
By looking at each of these nine myths closely, we see they don’t really help us live better lives. They don’t serve us. Even worse, they hold us back.
And it’s time to rethink all of them.