7 Lies About Decluttering And Minimalism That Are Keeping You Stuck

Let’s clear the air of some of the myths and misconceptions and general lies about decluttering and minimalism. When I ask about barriers to getting the clutter out and creating those spaces that you want, there are seven common responses that I hear. But they’re all myths! So think of this as a public service announcement inviting you to reframe your thinking about minimalism and what is possible for you. 

Myth #1: Minimalism Means I Have To Get Rid Of… 

We all have something we’re attached to, so we think, I can’t be minimalist or go clutter-free because then I can’t keep [fill in the blank. It’s this fear that somebody is going to tell you to get rid of something that you’re not ready or willing to part with.

For example, maybe you just really love having physical copies of books. You don’t want to switch over to Kindle. You might worry that to be a minimalist you need to get rid of your book collection. But there are no rules! You don’t need to be living out of a backpack to call yourself a minimalist. You can make your space to be whatever is uniquely going to be the most supportive for you. 

Creating supportive spaces is never a one size fits all. You don’t have to limit yourself to a certain number of any given item. What matters more is how you’re using your things, how frequently, are they in good condition? What one person might consider clutter might be something you feel like you can’t live without–and you don’t have to! 

Myth #2: Decluttering Valuable Things Is Wasteful 

Even as I say it, it sounds like something that would be true, right? Something is valuable, so you don’t just get rid of it. That is wasteful. But let’s switch around the perspective about waste worry. If something is not being used and it’s living inside of your closet or a drawer or a box in the garage, isn’t it more wasteful to be storing this thing and holding onto it?

I think that we just need to reframe what we consider the definition of waste to be. Is it less wasteful for that item to be stored away somewhere in your space, unused, or for it to go to somebody who could use it? Sure, you’ve spent money on it, but that money is already gone! It would have a lot more value to someone who was actually using it. 

Myth #3: Minimalism Only Works If Everyone Is On Board 

This is what I like to call the scapegoat excuse. Maybe you’re really into going minimalist, but your partner is a hoarder. Or maybe you have kids, so it’s harder to stay ahead of the clutter. And those things might be completely true, but you can still be whatever level of minimalist you want to be with your own belongings. 

And when you start to make those changes, often you can eventually get other people on board. When you start reaping the benefits for your own space, things look nicer, you have more time and energy. Then your partner, roommate, family, whoever you live with is more likely to get on board. They see something that they want in what you’re doing. 

Even if they don’t come on board, you can still benefit just from decluttering your own stuff. Decluttering your wardrobe will impact how quickly you make decisions about getting dressed every morning. Decluttering your bathroom products makes your evening routine a lot easier. There’s still a significant benefit in creating these clutter-free spaces, even just in your own area.

Myth #4: I’m Messy, So I Can’t Be Clutter-Free 

Maybe you think you have to be a clean freak in order to pull off being clutter-free. I don’t necessarily love to clean. Actually, I hate to clean. I don’t want to worry about wiping down the tables 10 times a day. So I think that it’s important that you disassociate cleanliness for a minimalism. 

I’ve written about this in a previous post, Can Messiness and Minimalism Coexist? And they can! As humans, we are consumers. We’re going to consume food, beverages, clothes, living spaces. As long as we have to have things, there’s potential to make a mess. 

But you can still create a clutter-free space. And that’s going to make cleaning easier. It’s going to cut down on the amount of time and energy that you’re having to put into cleaning. In fact, if you hate cleaning, then minimalism is a great way to go, because there will be less to clean.

Myth #5: I’m Not Organized Enough To Be A Minimalist 

There’s a common belief that you have to be an organized person in order to be clutter-free or to be a minimalist. You have to be meticulous and orderly and enjoy putting things in rows. This is by far one of the biggest lies about decluttering! I hear it every day.

You wouldn’t believe how many people come to me asking for organizing advice. And I’m not a professional organizer! I talk about getting the things out the door, not creating a filing system, and putting them in boxes with little labels. I do like for things to look orderly and organized. But I would much rather not have to keep up with some intricate organizational system. 

People who aren’t naturally organized actually have a leg up in the decluttering department! This is because people who love organizing aren’t thinking about getting stuff out. They’re thinking about finding more spaces to hoard things, but in pretty bins with pretty labels. 

So if you’re bad at organizing, you’re more likely to just pick something up and be like, I don’t know what to do with this. I don’t have an organizing system. Let’s put it in the box to donate it. Your instinct isn’t to buy a new bin and put a new label on it. You can more readily work toward decluttering. 

Myth #6: It’s Rude To Get Rid Of Gifts 

This is another place where we need to reframe our perspective. When somebody gives you a gift, the act of them giving the gift IS the gift. The item is really just a physical representation of them showing their love or appreciation. 

I’ve become very mindful of giving gift receipts. If I give somebody something that they don’t want to keep, I want them to exchange it for something that they do want. I want them to have only the things that they really love inside of their home. And I know others feel that way, too! So don’t hold onto things out of guilt or obligation. Chances are that the gift-giver wouldn’t want you to keep it if they knew you didn’t want it.

Myth #7: It’s Too Overwhelming 

Of all the lies about decluttering, this is the one that leads to the most procrastination. This is the belief that decluttering needs to be a big project. Decluttering my entire home? That’s going to take days! I need to get supplies, I need to set aside all this time and get it all done at once, I need to have all this energy! Well…no. 

Believing that it has to be a huge production is just a formula for procrastination. I have a video, How to Find the Time to Declutter. It’s great for anybody who doesn’t have a lot of time or energy because I show you how to create these effervescent bubbles of time to do your decluttering projects. Then you don’t have to think of it as one giant burdensome thing, because our brains just can’t handle that kind of pressure.