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In a weird way, having too much crap can make me feel claustrophobic and plain unorganised in my day-to-day life. When my room and shelf space feel overloaded with paper, possessions, and miscellaneous things, it can feel really good to reorganise and de-clutter these spaces. 

Where did all this clutter come from?

Whilst I’m de-cluttering I am also asking myself, ‘’where did all this clutter come from?’’ I find that it is usually a result of two problems. Firstly, I seem to be good at picking up a lot of crap hoping I will find a use for it and secondly, I sometimes struggle between sorting through what needs to go and what needs to stay.

If I ever have extra notes from last semester or handouts from classes or I see some free books, I’ll find it all 6 months later clogging up space on my shelf. One of my problems with collecting things that I just don’t need is feeling guilty about waste. I will often find that there are note pads, booklets and other random bits and bobs that clutter my shelves and drawers. As much as I might struggle with letting go of items, there are times when I tell myself that not everything can be saved and not everything will last forever. I ask myself, do I need it? If not, can I donate it or give it to a friend? If I can’t donate it, can I recycle it? Finally, if the item doesn’t answer yes to any of these questions I accept that it probably needs to be thrown in the bin. My mind will then often wander to thoughts of it sitting in the ground for the next million years to come and I can’t help but feel guilty and ashamed.

The tricky thing with balancing de-cluttering and environmentalism is a healthy dose of practicality and realism. I try to remind myself of the impracticality of keeping things I don’t use from landfill by having them sitting around my room. In many ways, when clutter occupies my shelf space it becomes a landfill site in itself. Secondly, I remind myself of what the reality is of my impact on our environment. Can I save everything from landfill and ensure everything is made and recycled in a holistic system with zero waste? Probably not (or at least not when it comes to cleaning my room). Doing the right thing environmentally to me means using the systems available to reduce waste, supporting the push for better recycling and more sustainable recycled products.

Why is it good to de-clutter?

After de-cluttering a space it feels great to sit back and look at the renewed sense of space and order that has been restored to my room and storage areas. I’ve noticed there are a few things that make me feel more positive after de-cluttering.

Feeling in control: When I de-clutter I often receive a great sense of feeling in control. In a time when it can seem like I have control over less and less (such as our climate or a pandemic), a feeling of control from de-cluttering can make a real difference.

Feeling productive: Sometimes I find that launching into study isn’t always the best method to having a productive day. Instead, when I find I am feeling lazy or unmotivated a task such as decluttering can not only make me feel productive, but also facilitate me to be productive in other areas of my life whether that be socially, physically or academically.

So, if you notice a shelf that is looking a bit too crowded or your stationary draw is a mess, try organising and de-cluttering it and enjoy feeling like a champion!