Do you know what aspirational clutter is?
Aspirational clutter is the stuff we keep for the person we WANT to be, not the person we are right now.
See if you can relate to any of these …
Aspirational clutter – the ‘Fit Me’ Fantasy
- Clothes you need to lose weight to fit into.
If you lose weight, you will probably want new garments. But either way, at any size you deserve a calm, functional wardrobe that makes you feel good, rather than guilting you about falling short of unrealistic beauty standards.
Aspirational clutter – the ‘Fitness Me’ Fantasy
- Unused exercise equipment – anything from a cheap yoga mat to a pricey treadmill.
- Workout clothes with tags on.
- Protein shakes and supplements.
Aspirational clutter – the “Crafty Me” Collection
- Piles of magazines in case you want to scrapbook one day.
- Yarn for knitting projects you’ll never start.
- Art supplies for your inner artist who never shows up.
- A sewing machine you’ve never used.
Aspirational clutter – the “Domestic Goddess” Gear
- Slow cooker still in box.
- Fancy kitchen gadgets for elaborate meals you don’t cook.
- Preserving jars for the chutneys you’ll never make.
- Speciality cookbooks for cuisines you don’t do.
Aspirational clutter – the “Organised Me” Myth
- Beautiful planners you never fill out.
- Label makers gathering dust.
- Empty storage containers for organising you haven’t done.
- Marie Kondo’s latest organising book, untouched.
Aspirational clutter – the “Cultured Me” Corner
- Books and articles on topics you’ll never read (learn a language! self-help!)
- Musical instruments you don’t play.
- Meditation CDs from abandoned New Year’s resolutions.
The truth is that you bought these things for who you wanted to be, not who you actually are at this moment.
Sometimes, Build it and They will Come is not realistic, and only serves to taunt us about perceived failures.
Allow future you buy their own stuff when they actually materialise. For now, you are enough, as you are. And you deserve a clutter-free home.
Which aspirational identity is cluttering up your home and your head? See more clutter types here.
