Why do we keep clutter and let it distract us from life?

I bought a few things while on vacation; some were necessities and some were not. I realized while unpacking that if I put something downstairs, I didn’t plan to use it anytime soon. Most likely, I didn’t need to buy those items. It’s excess. Excess is collected clutter. It’s like it’s engrained into me; and I’d like to break that cycle.

I’ve heard stories about people who lose everything in a fire or flood and even though they are upset, they also found it freeing. I’m not sure I’ll ever be at that point, but I wish I could be. It would be nice to put everything I own into 10 boxes or less, but when you own a house…that’s impossible. Somewhere in there is a balance…I’d like to find that balance this year.

I’ve made some progress this year in my clutter clearing efforts, but I still have a long way to go. This month, I’d like to work on uncluttering me. This is my birthday month and it sounds fitting. There are some reasons I keep clutter and I think this is a great month to figure out why that is and deal with it so it doesn’t reoccur. What things do I do that distract me from my purpose, and why? I’m looking forward to figuring this out and doing something about it.