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How much clutter do you have in your home right now? If it is more than you would like, you might be curious what the top reasons for clutter are. In Part 1, I talked about some of the practical reasons why clutter accumulates:

1. You have more stuff than you know what to do with.
2. You recently moved or are going through another life transition.
3. You do not immediately organize or remove items from your home as they arrive.

Now I want to discuss some psychological reasons for clutter.

4. You tend to take on more than you can handle.

Do you have a tendency to take on more responsibilities than you can possibly juggle? If you are regularly overcommitted with your schedule, do not be surprised if that manifests in other ways as well. Maybe you also take on more stuff than you can handle. You tell yourself you can take care of these items, but the truth is that you have no space or plan for them.

It is important to be able to separate your good intentions from what you are realistically capable of doing. Acknowledge you have limits in terms of space and time, and try not to over-commit. If you cannot take responsibility for an item, take it to the thrift store.

5. You have a hard time committing and following through on things.

Sometimes the psychological issue involved with clutter is the exact opposite. It isn’t that you commit too readily—it is that you do not commit at all. You tell yourself that you are going to get rid of your clutter, but you never actually follow through on the project. The clutter just sits there, and continues to mount. If that is the situation, you will only make progress once you get past that psychological hurdle.

6. You are a perfectionist.

Some people put off decluttering projects because they do not want to get started until they have the perfect system for organizing. Since they never actually come up with that perfect system, they never dive into decluttering. If you want to progress toward your goals, do not worry about getting everything perfect—just start decluttering and organizing.

7. You live in the past or you are anxious about the future.

Another reason you might have lots of clutter is because you are not living in the present. Maybe you went through hard times in the past, and are afraid to let anything go because you might need it in the future. This is sometimes referred to as “Depression-era mentality.” If you have logical reasons to believe your life is stable now, try and see past your anxieties.

You now know more about the psychological and emotional reasons for clutter. Hopefully you can use this information to take a closer look at your own habits. Making some changes to your outlook and behaviors might well be all you need to start getting rid of clutter in your house.