The weight of unmade decisions

As a professional organizer, people usually reach out to me when they are at their wits end. They are surrounded by clutter, but feel paralyzed and don’t know where to start. When this happens, I'm always reminded of one of my favorite definitions of clutter – clutter is “postponed decisions.” 

If you are at home while you are reading this, look around you. How do you feel in this room? Physically and emotionally. Do you feel cramped? Is the air clean? Can your eyes rest on something you love to look at – something that is important to you? Can you find things easily? Do you feel at ease or on edge?

Now, ask yourself, “How do I WANT to feel in this room?” 

Does reality line up with your desire? If not, why? What is holding you back from reclaiming this space and making it what you want? 

I can tell you in two words: delayed decisions. Okay, two more words: analysis paralysis. 

William James said, “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.” 

Sometimes we are afraid of making a wrong decision, so we put it off. And, we hold onto the weight of that indecision (which, by the way, can be heavier than actually making the decision in the first place). Physical stuff is heavy. And, boy, it can be emotionally exhausting to feel the weight of unmade decisions around our stuff.

This is the first in a series of 3 posts.