Ep. 234: Why You Keep Avoiding Certain Clutter (And What To Do About It)

Today I want to talk about the part of clutter that most people avoid.

Not starting.

Not getting organized.

👉 But the stuff that keeps getting moved around.

The pile you’ve seen before.

The things you’ve picked up… and then set back down.

And if you’ve ever thought:

👉 “Why is this stuff so much harder to deal with?”

This is what we’re talking about today.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

 https://www.jenniferroskamp.com/spring-clutter-fresh-start

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Transcript

All right, so let's say that when it comes to your clutter, you've already started and you've already made some progress. You've cleared a few things and you feel a little bit better. This is good, right? But then you're kind of just left with a group of items, maybe a large amount of items that never got decided about. Maybe they're sitting in a pile, maybe they're in a box, maybe they're just scattered around in different places so that you

You don't forget that you have to deal with them and figure them out. But I'm guessing you know what I'm talking about. It's the stuff that didn't feel easy. And when you look at those things, it feels different. It feels heavier. It feels like, I don't know what to do with this. Or this would take so much more time to think through. Or this feels more complicated. And so,

What do we do when we have those things? Having those things that make you think those thoughts, having the stuff that leads directly to those thoughts, that's not wrong. It doesn't mean that you're failing. It doesn't mean that you're incapable or you're never going to be able to take care of them. But here's what I know. It's really hard to figure out what to do when you're sitting there at that point. And so we just stay stuck with these things around and they stay set aside permanently.

And we just keep telling ourselves, we'll get to it, we'll get to it. But here's the part that I think you really need to hear. Those items, again, they are not random. They're not random items. They're always where your decisions get stuck. They're the things that have more behind them, right? It's not just the stuff. It's not just about the item. These are the things that have more meaning. These are the things that have more pressure attached to them. They have more thought behind them.

and that needs to go into them. And so this is really where there is something deeper going on. I've been teaching this spring clutter fresh start all week. And I keep talking every day about, keep giving the analogy of this iceberg. And I'm going to share it here with you today. So there's this one type of iceberg, which I read not too long ago that there's actually different types of icebergs. Never realized. However,

There's this one type of iceberg, and forgive me for not knowing what it's called, but there's this one type of iceberg. If you think about the Titanic, I think this was this type of iceberg where there's this 20 % that's visible. There's this 20 % of the iceberg that is visible above the water. But there's this 80 % that is below, and you don't have any idea that it is there. And so as I've been teaching this clutter event all week, I keep describing how when it comes to our clutter,

Really, we are all aware of the 20%, right? There's 20 % of everything that your clutter, that is wrapped up in that clutter. 20 % of it is what you actually understand. It's what you actually realize it's there. You can only see 20 % of what's actually going on with your clutter. That's what I'm trying to say. There's this 80 % that's below the surface. They're the things that you don't realize are coming into play.

They're the things that are throttling you back. They're the things that are pulling you back into the old cycle and the never-ending pattern that you keep getting stuck in with your clutter. And it's why it still stays there year after year after year, maybe for decades. But just know, so for now, just know that there's 80%. There's a large amount that's going on with your clutter that you don't even realize is coming into play. So this is what I'm referring to. Just to give you a little bit of a

visual for what I'm about to say, that ice-brain analogy. So there is something deeper that is happening, though, when you're struggling with these harder things to take care of, right? Because there is something deeper that's going on, because those items are tied or tethered to something, right? And they're tethered to something like guilt. They're tethered to something like sentimental memories or emotions that are attached to those items.

Maybe there things that are tied to overthinking. Maybe there are things that are tied to perfection. And so it's not just, what do I do with this thing? That's not the question. That's not what we're actually dealing with. What's actually happening is, as we're picking up this thing and trying to figure out what to do with it, your brain is formulating thoughts. And they're thoughts like, what does it mean about me? The fact that.

I'm struggling with this thing, and I can't decide what to do with. Your brain is saying things like, what if I make the wrong decision? Your brain is saying things like, should I be handling this differently? And so while your brain is having all these conversations with itself, of course, this item that you're hanging onto trying to figure out what to do with, of course, it feels heavier. And so of course, you pause. And of course, you set it aside. Those are all.

natural human responses. That's what anyone would do when these things get heavier, right? And so it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. It just means that there's a lot wrapped up in that 80 % that's below the surface. It means that there's more weight in that decision than it just being about that item, right? It's not just about that item. And this concept, these concepts of the weight of things and what

is going on underneath the surface and what those items are actually tied to, that is exactly what we are working through in day three of the spring clutter fresh start. Because most people either avoid those items completely or try to force yourself through dealing with it and just force yourself to figure it out. And in reality, neither of those things actually work. And so instead, we want to do something different.

And this is what we're doing inside day three. We're not trying to solve everything. We're making the decisions that are wrapped up in the stuff. We're making the decisions smaller. We're looking for what's clear. And we're grouping things in a way that makes them easier. We take the pressure of having to do it, quote, right. And when you can do that, something shifts. You go from, don't even know where to start with this, to, OK.

I can move one thing forward. And that's what actually changes everything. That is going to be, when you can get to that head space, that is what is going to allow you to actually keep working on the stuff. And again, this is exactly what we're doing inside the Spring Clutter Fresh Start. It's a five-day experience, and it's simple. Every day is simple step-by-step processes.

where I walk you through what to focus on, what to do, and how to move through the parts, like this, that usually stop you. And if you're listening to this right now and thinking, huh, as I was describing the 80 % and I was describing the stuff being tied to other things, and if you're thinking, huh, yeah, I usually get stuck when things feel hard too, you can join us. Even if the live sessions have already happened,

You can go through this experience, this complete five day experience, completely as a replay on your own time when it works for you. If you're not here right now to join us live, know that you're not behind. You can start right now wherever you are at, whatever time of the year it is. Everything you need to join is down in the comments below. Because it's not that you can't do this.

It's that you've been trying to push through the hardest parts without any way to make them easier. And that's what I'm here to do. So until we talk again, make it a great day.