Changing Just One Word in Your Vocabulary Can Cut Your Clutter in Half

Clutter is the silent home ruiner. One second everything is in its place and your counters look pristine, then what seems like two seconds later, every surface, closet, and cabinet is completely full of unnecessary stuff.

It’s easy to see how it happens. After all, it’s never been easier to buy stuff than it is now. One tap on your phone and you can have millions (billions?) of items delivered to your front step in two days. What you need to change, is your mindset. And according to professional organizer and author Tracy McCubbin, one word can do that for you.

Pause and Reframe Your Mindset

Before you click add to cart, first think about whether you need this item, or just want this item. “Reframing a ‘need’ as a ‘want’ means you take your power of choice back. When you realize you don’t need something but just want it, you can make smarter, more conscious choices about what you buy and bring into your home,” McCubbin says. “Taking the pull of ‘need’ off the table means you can evaluate each purchase as a want and assess if it serves you or your home to purchase that item.”

It makes sense. When you see a cute pair of earrings, you tell yourself you need to have them, but when you take a step back, do you really? How many other pairs of earrings do you already own? The truth is that you just want them, and simply realizing that they’re a want and not a need can reframe everything. “Our true needs really come down to food, shelter, medicine, and some clothing. You don’t need that 10th purse, fourth pair of black boots, or the newest kitchen gadget.”

Once you realize you want something, you can begin the process of thinking about why it is you want this stuff so badly. “Did you have a tough day at work? Fight with your partner? Are the kids driving you bonkers? More often than not, the feeling of needing to buy something is a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings from the day,” McCubbbin says

Practice Makes Perfect

And we get it, some days do require a treat yourself kind of moment, but not all of them. So try this: “Every time you say out loud or think in your head, ‘I need this,’ repeat the sentence and say, ‘I want this.’ No judgment, no self-criticism, just awareness of what that feeling really is,” McCubbin says. Trading “need” for “want” may be a slow process, but you’ll get there.

When you’re getting ready to make a purchase, she suggests asking yourself these questions:

• Would my life be happy and fulfilled even if I didn’t purchase this item?
• Have I been able to function in my home without this item up until now?
• Do I think I need it because someone else told me I did?
• What is going on with me emotionally that I think this item will solve?
• Honestly, do I really need this?

If you can be honest with yourself, the answer will be clear. “This simple word switch can completely change a person’s buying habits, and by buying less, people are creating less clutter. Over-purchasing is the biggest cause of clutter in every home,” McCubbin says.