Through Rose-colored Glasses: Sentimentality and Clutter

Feeling sentimental about our stuff is a big reason that we keep more than we can manage. If we could see through a stranger’s eyes, we’d see a lot of things that have lost any practical value. But it’s easy to look at our own collections through filters of memory and nostalgia and to rationalize our attachments until our spaces are overflowing with the physical reminders of our pasts.

At the August meeting of the Houston Clutter Coaching Meetup, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy, explored the sentimental roots of clutter. She examined the rationalizations we use to hold on to things that we should logically let go. She suggested an approach to decision-making that balances sentimental value with our real-world conditions of time, space, and resources.