I’m not a fan of focusing on the negatives, but it would be remiss of me not to touch on the reasons why decluttering is hard. What I hope to achieve by sharing my thoughts on this topic is to empower you with enough information on the difficulties of decluttering so that you can prepare for these roadblocks ahead of time.
I can’t remember who said this, but failing to plan is planning to fail. Let me tell you, embracing minimalism has not been smooth sailing, but it has been rewarding in many ways. I came close to quitting because I was so unprepared, but I didn’t give up.
I’ve grown through the challenges, and I like the lessons I learned from the challenges I faced during bouts of extreme decluttering and regular decluttering.
If you’re going through that right now, hang in there, because it gets better.
So with that being said, even though this article will focus on the reasons why decluttering is hard, please don’t be put off by the idea of cleaning your home because there is definitely so much to be gained by letting go of clutter and overcoming setbacks.
This Is Why People Avoid Decluttering
1. Emotional Attachment
Call me a sentimental extremist because I form an emotional connection to so many things!
It’s not so uncommon, and it’s these emotional attachments that make it hard to declutter. A part of you feels like you’re letting go of something meaningful to your history or identity.
Not all sentimental items have to be considered clutter, but certain replaceable items do. I have a cousin who struggles to let go of items and just cannot stick to a budget because he felt so deprived as a child during times of financial hardship.
That has stuck with him all the way into his 30s, and these emotional attachments to anything he gets extend beyond just sentimentality.
He’s holding onto stuff that has absolutely no place in his life, and I realized that a lot of us are susceptible to feeling this way.
This is genuinely one of the main reasons why decluttering is hard for a lot of people.
Related article: How I let go of emotional clutter with mindfulness
2. Fear Of Loss
There may be a fear of regret or loss associated with decluttering.
This is especially true if you have a history of being impulsive and regretting your decisions, or if you have had a really difficult time with financial stability throughout your life.
3. Overwhelm
When looking at a mountain of possessions, it can be daunting and scary to think about tackling this enormous task of decluttering.
Not knowing where to start, how long it may take, and what to do with all your possessions may lead to procrastination or a lack of enthusiasm to get started.
Related article: Decluttering mistakes (what they are and how to avoid them)
4. Decision Fatigue
Mental energy is a real thing, and we only have so much to expend per day.
What’s also true is that certain systems of decluttering may sometimes require constant decision-making about what to keep, toss, or donate, and that can result in decision fatigue.
If you give yourself too many options on when to declutter, you’ll probably make no decision.
5. Lack Of Time
In a home with a family, decluttering is hard because it’s difficult or challenging to find the time to declutter around a busy schedule and demanding lifestyle.
If you knew that decluttering your home may take days of work, it may just deter you, especially if you are not willing to do it one room at a time.
Also, not many working individuals want to spend their weekends decluttering their homes when they can be socializing, prepping, or relaxing.
Related article: How much time should you spend decluttering?
6. Perfectionism
An all-or-nothing mentality may inhibit some people from decluttering because they’re unprepared to do it gradually or modestly.
To them, they either want to adopt a life of complete minimalism through extreme decluttering or not do it at all.
More often than not, there’s enough reason to indicate that you can’t do it perfectly, so you end up convincing yourself not to try at all.
Related article: 12 Tips to make decluttering easy
7. Attachment To Materialism
There’s so much instant gratification and fleeting dopamine to be obtained from materialism that it can be addictive.
Take it from someone who blew through his savings at one point trying to numb emotional pain.
It’s really hard to break free from the clutches of materialism, especially when society at large is influenced by companies selling social status through their brands.
This attachment to materialism directly conflicts with the ideas of minimalism, and the hesitation to let go of items you spend money on is legitimately strong.
It really does take a mindset shift to truly embrace a clutter-free life, and that can be difficult for a lot of people.
Related article: The pros and cons of minimalism
8. Habitual Behavior
Clutter often accumulates due to habitual behaviors like impulse buying, procrastination, or avoiding decision-making.
As you probably know, breaking habits can take weeks, and if you’re not prepared for that, even if you decluttered your home once, it will end up cluttered again if these habits continue to live within you.
9. Resistance From Family
When you live with other people, it could be difficult to get them onboard with the idea of decluttering. I’ve seen that occur with my parents.
My mother has OCD and cannot relax at all unless the house is sparkling clean.
My father is exactly the opposite, and he doesn’t really pay too much attention to organization, let alone clutter.
If you look at our backyard, it’s indicative of that difference because he has stuff that has been collecting rust for almost a decade now.
Even if my mother insists that he declutter and clean up, the yard always ends up cluttered and disorganized because it’s not in his nature.
10. Sentimental hesitation
Items may serve as reminders of the past, and letting go of them can be symbolic of moving on. This can be emotionally challenging, particularly if the past includes difficult or significant experiences.
I hate to say it, but I’ve held onto sentimental items from people I once loved who hurt me deeply and are no longer a part of my life.
I struggle to let go of these items because of their sentimental value, and they tie me to a time in my life that will never come back. I know that I should let go of these items, but I struggle.
Thankfully. I’m not a perfectionist and still declutter as much as I can despite holding onto sentimental items.