The latest installment (v31) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my newest discoveries informing, educating, and relating to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring, clutter-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a wonderfully generous, warm, and engaged group. I am deeply appreciative and grateful for your presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community.

I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? - 5 Clutter-Related Finds

1. Interesting Read – Extreme Clutter

Are you curious about hoarding behavior, chronic disorganization, and how to help yourself or a loved one be safe in a cluttered space? In Filled Up and Overflowing – What to do when life events, chronic disorganization, or hoarding go overboard, Diane Quintana, CPO-CD® and Jonda Beattie, M.Ed, professional organizing colleagues and authors, share their and their clients’ experiences and insights through poignant stories. They describe how to distinguish hoarding behavior from other types of disorganization and clutter, describe effective strategies, and include valuable resources. Diane and Jonda write about the importance of being respectful when helping. They suggest, “Ask permission before touching anything, opening any drawer, cupboard, or closet…before moving anything – even a small piece of paper or a box that is in the way.” They explain that the movement can cause distress. “Even though it looks like random stacks of stuff to you, they know where their possessions are and will become panicked if they cannot find them.” If you are a professional, a family member, or friend of someone challenged by hoarding behavior and want to help, this is an essential go-to guide.

2. Interesting Trend – Aesthetic Clutter

Photo by #thecluttercore (Instagram)

Have you heard of cluttercore? It is a relatively new design aesthetic trend from pop culture that first gained attention on TikTok. Cluttercore is now visible on other social media platforms, too, like Instagram and Twitter. Search #cluttercore to see a variety of visuals. You’ve heard of the minimalist aesthetic and movement. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Marianne Eloise describes cluttercore as maximalist, a “messy, actually lived-in lifestyle.” It’s a rejection of minimalism. Eloise says, “it’s a stuff-centric aesthetic however, it has little in common with careless hoarding.” Cluttercore rooms look cozy, lived in, and filled with lots of “artfully arranged,” carefully chosen things. As the enthusiast Micah describes, “Cluttercore is in no way a promotion of unhealthy hoarding of material objects and garbage, but rather an appreciation of things we can call our own.”

“Spring is a great season to declutter the extraneous.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

3. Interesting Podcast  – Thing Clutter

In this podcast episode “Things,” WNYC’s Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich (since retired) discuss “things you can hold and things that can take hold of you.”  During this personal conversation, they talk about objects, their relationship to them, and the thought process for keeping or letting them go. The dialogue is reminiscent of the decision-making conversations I’ve had with clients as they talk and decide about the clutter in their lives.

4. Interesting Season – Declutter Clutter

With temperatures warming, thinner layers of clothing, and flowers blooming, this is an inspirational moment to let go, de-stress, and get organized. Spring is a great season to set your organizing goals, declutter the extraneous, and create the calm at home that you deserve. Change is possible, especially with support. If you are struggling, enlist help from a compassionate and non-judgmental friend, family member, or professional organizer like me. I’m ready to help. Discover how virtual organizing can work for you and why my clients love it so much. Let’s talk. Call 914-271-5673 or email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com.

5. Interesting Thought – Mind Clutter

Clutter isn’t just reserved for the physical stuff we own. We can also experience mind clutter, which makes it hard to think clearly and focus. Some of my favorite mind decluttering strategies include:

• Doing a brain download with a pen and paper

• Taking a walk in nature

• Practicing mindfulness meditation

• Organizing a small space or area. The reduction of physical clutter can result in less mental clutter.

What are your interesting finds? Which of these resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Letting go can be challenging, especially when we have strong emotional attachments to our things. You might wonder why you have to let go? You don’t. You always have a choice. However, there are pivotal moments in our lives when letting go is necessary and you’re struggling. Perhaps you are in the midst of a significant life change like moving or rightsizing. Maybe you lost a loved one and are responsible for editing and dispossessing their things. Or, perhaps you are overwhelmed with a mountain of belongings that no longer deserve physical or mental space in your life. When we combine emotional transitions with a propensity for strong attachments to our stuff, letting go can be difficult.

Minimalist Leo Babauta wrote something, which resonated with me. He referred to “the skill of letting go.”  All skills require practice. His description is infused with hope. It suggests that even if you are struggling with letting go, you can practice and improve. This is something I’ve experienced with my clients. The more they work at letting go, the less challenging it becomes.

4 Ways to Let Go of Things When Emotional Attachments are Powerful

1. Exercise Letting Go Muscles

I’ve always perceived letting go as a muscle that needs to be exercised like other muscles. However, we wouldn’t start lifting with a 100 lb. weight. We’d start small, maybe with a five-pounder, and build from there. This thought process is similar to letting go of the things we’re attached to. Exercise your letting go muscles by starting with the “lighter-weight” possessions like clothing or junk mail. Get a letting go rhythm established and work your way to the “heavier-weight” items that you feel more emotionally connected. Like most of us starting an exercise routine, it’s helpful to have an accountability partner or trainer. For help exercising your letting go muscles, hire a professional organizer like me, or work with a trusted friend or family member. It can make all the difference.

2. Normalize Emotional Attachments

It is prevalent, especially with people challenged by disorganization, to have strong emotional attachments to things. When attachments are heightened, identify and display your most valued treasures, set boundaries around what “enough” means, and use physical boundary parameters like a box or closet size. For items that get released, make the “homes” they go meaningful and that the places or people they are donated or given to will appreciate them. All of these things will make letting go easier to process.

“Letting go can be challenging, especially when we have strong emotional attachments to our things.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

3. Incentivize Letting Go

When we invite people over for a small gathering (tiny these days because of the pandemic,) what happens? Most of us become motivated to make our home guest-ready. This can include cleaning, decluttering, and letting go. Establishing a manufactured date can boost incentive for getting your home “good enough” for your company. Consider increasing the frequency of invitations to friends and family (using COVID safety protocols) as a dual incentive- more socializing time and increased opportunities to sort, edit, organize, and let go.

4. Minimize Kinesthetic Sympathy

When we physically touch things, it can increase our emotional attachment to them. This is the premise of kinesthetic sympathy. If you can, work with someone who can physically hold up the items for you while selecting what to keep or release. Putting physical distance and touch between you and the object can make decision-making more manageable. Physical space decreases emotional attachment and helps distinguish what is most treasured from the things that are no longer needed.

Do you or someone you know feel challenged with letting go? Do emotional attachments make it harder to let go? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.