What’s Stopping You from Decluttering?

And How to Finally Let Go Without the Stress

Your closets are bursting. Your garage is a maze. There’s a growing sense that your home is less a space to live and more a storage unit for memories, obligations, and “maybe someday” items. Everyone tells you it's too much. You know it's too much. But every time you try to declutter, you get stuck. Why?

It’s Not Just About Stuff

Decluttering sounds easy in theory—just get rid of what you don’t use. But for many of us, clutter isn’t just physical. It’s emotional. It’s tied to grief, identity, guilt, and hope. That’s why even broken lamps, yellowing greeting cards, and old mismatched mugs can feel impossible to part with.

1. You’re Afraid of Forgetting

That chipped vase? Your mother gave it to you. The chair you never sit in? It was your grandfather’s. You’re not really keeping the item—you’re trying to hold on to the person, the memory, the moment in time. There’s a quiet fear that if you let go of the thing, you’ll lose the connection.

What to do instead:
Take a picture. Write a note about its story. Keep one meaningful item from that person instead of twenty. Memories don’t live in objects—they live in you.

2. You Think Your Kids Will Want It

You imagine your children someday taking these things into their own homes. The fine china, the antique mirror, the hundred family photo albums. But more and more, adult children are saying: “We don’t want it.” It’s not because they don’t love you—it’s because they want to choose their own life, just like you did.

What to do instead:
Ask them directly what they want. Respect the answer, even if it’s hard. If they say no, consider selling, donating, or giving those items a new life with someone who will appreciate them.

3. You’re Tied to “Someday” Thinking

You might be holding onto clothes you haven’t worn in a decade, gadgets you never used, or fabric scraps for a quilt you never started. There’s comfort in the idea that you might need it, that someday you’ll be the person who uses it.

What to do instead:
Be honest about who you are now, not who you might be in some hypothetical future. If an item hasn’t been used in years, it’s probably not going to be. And that’s okay.

4. You Feel Guilty Letting Go

There’s a silent weight of guilt with certain things: gifts you never liked, things that were expensive, items you inherited but don’t enjoy. Giving them away feels like a betrayal—or a waste.

What to do instead:
Remind yourself: the gift has served its purpose. You appreciated the gesture. Keeping something out of guilt is not honoring the person—it’s burdening yourself. Free yourself to let go.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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