It is hard to get rid of clutter, even if we know how pricey is to keep it. Discover the most painful costs of keeping clutter in your life.
What Is Clutter
Clutter is any excess in life or emotional baggage that weighs us down distracts from our purpose or robs us of joy and mind-body-spirit health. - A Life In Progress
Clutter in Feng Shui
According to Feng Shui teachers, clutter is defined as anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, or hopelessly disorganized.
Quotes about Clutter
“Out of clutter, find simplicity.” ― Albert Einstein
“It's interesting to see that people had so much clutter even thousands of years ago. The only way to get rid of it all was to bury it, and then some archaeologist went and dug it all up.” ― Karl Pilkington
“...that once was urgent and necessary for an orderly world and now was buried away, gathering dust and of no use to anyone.” ― Patricia A. McKillip
Kinds of Clutter
The untidy house of flat, - each room and part of the room,
The untidy or messy surroundings of your house/flat - garage, yard, garden,
The untidy or messy workplace or car,
The dirty body inside - e.g. your colon with faecal stones, liver and gallbladder with stones, clogged arteries,
Unfinished business (things to do and in relationships with people, e.g., letting go, apology),
negative emotions held within, e.g., grievance, grudges,
The untidy electronic equipment (computer, phone, tablet),
Spiritual clutter (energetic hooks, thought forms, souls of dead people, other beings)
Why Is It Hard to Clear Clutter?
You know that clutter has to be cleared. However, you also know how hard it is to start. Why?
We are emotionally attached to the items that form clutter,
It takes a lot of emotional effort and energy to clear the clutter,
It may be pricey - garbage collection, commission per auction if you want to sell sth on, e.g., eBay or Amazon,
You need to make an effort to give away or sell the items,
It takes time,
It is boring,
It is often hard to decide if something is a piece of clutter or not,
Having many things around makes you feel safe and secure,
Clutter can be caused by depression, attention deficit disorder, low self-esteem or lack of personal boundaries,
Unexpected events in life, e.g., having a baby
The list can be longer but even these items are tempting enough to stay where you are. However, is it worth procrastinating with clearing the clutter? Let's start with an exercise.
Exercise
Take a notebook. List all the clutter which is relevant to you. I can assure you if you do this exercise for the first time, the list will be very long.
Writing about costs I do not only mean money although it is one of the seven kinds. Most categories are immaterial so the real costs are seen when things are really bad and then lots of work is needed to clear the clutter.
The Seven Kinds of Cost You Have To Pay Because Of Clutter
Now, when you have your list in front of you, we can start calculating the cost. Just pick up each item and put it in the right category of costs. The item may even belong to ALL of them.
1. Time
People often think of clutter as an energy drain, but it also drains us of our time. How? You spend extra time, virtually every day, looking for lost items, such as keys, money, shoes, tools, etc. Even when you are looking right at the lost item, it becomes difficult to see it when surrounded by clutter.
2. Money
When you do not have financial papers organized, bills can get lost, causing you to accrue late fees. Replacing lost items and buying duplicates of those we didn’t realize we already had can also carry a cost that adds up quickly.
You can also lose money because of hiring a professional archivist who will tidy your documentation. And as time is money, searching for lost documents means less time to actually make money.
3. Stress
The most obvious toll that clutter takes is added stress on one's life. For example, when you expect a guest and your house is cluttered, it costs you a day to clean it. Moreover, each room carries visual reminders of all the work that needs to be done in the way of cleaning. According to the principles of Feng Shui, clutter drains you of your positive energy—you can feel it! A cluttered home, rather than a haven from stress, is a big stressor in itself and intensifies the frustration and exhaustion already stressed person feels.
4. Problems in Relationships with People
If you are living together with your partner, a cluttered house can be a big challenge and the source of numerous arguments. Each item can irritate and break the peace between you and your partner.
Moreover, things are getting worse when your mother-in-law visits the house and starts to criticise you or him. And the worst case is when you are a neat person and your partner is a slob or the opposite.
Further reading about relationships
5. Problems At Work
A cluttered office or garage leads to stress and reproval from your boss. You find yourself even under bigger pressure running a business and gaining a bad reputation among the customers who come to your office.
Don't forget that the first impression is usually indelible and if negative - very hard to efface. If you are prone to generate clutter, it will be harder to be promoted or fewer customers will buy your goods/services.
6. Health
A cluttered house or office means less fresh air and more dust. Things are worse when you are allergic to dust. also, there is a bigger risk of a fire, or an injury (spraining a joint, breaking a leg or arm, e.g. while looking for a lost item).
As described above, stress adds additional load to strain your health. Lack of proper rest because of a cluttered bedroom is also very common and we all know how sleep deprivation affects health.
Further reading about health:
7. Spiritual Distress
I do not mean "a disruption in the life principle that pervades a person's entire being and that integrates and transcends one's biological and psychological nature" here. It is rather about having fewer opportunities for your soul to radiate with the Light.
Spiritual clutter leads to stress and attracts negative energy. However, physical clutter can also have a negative impact on your spiritual practices. For example, you cannot concentrate on your meditation or prayer.
More about aura and energy:
In a Nutshell
Today you have met the seven kinds of costs you are paying tolerating clutter in your life. All of them are interdependent and can exist at the same time.
Apart from money, time and stress, our relationships at home and work will soar and our health is impaired. In many cases, clutter can also elongate your way to total happiness by stirring negative emotions. With lots of love and light,
Vicky
About
Vicky is an experienced holistic writer and coach who inspires, motivates, and encourages everyone to become the best version of themselves - physically, mentally, and spiritually.
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