Ep 37 | The True Cost of Clutter

About this Episode

Spark Joy co-hosts and KonMari Consultants, Karin and Kristyn, talk about 17 obvious and hidden costs associated with living with clutter that is slowly stealing your joy.

In this episode, we attempt to uncover and put a price tag on the hidden costs associated with delaying your KonMari tidying event. Like many common lifestyle challenges (losing weight, getting out of debt, finding a new job) the longer you wait to get started, the more the issue compounds and slowly steals your joy. So it’s time to get real and talk about the physical and emotional costs associated with keeping clutter around.

Now we want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Joy Checks: Karin surprises her mom in Kansas City and Kristyn finds joy on the 606 running trail in Chicago.

We breakdown 17 costs associated with clutter:

• The cost of storing your clutter outside of your home

• The cost of not using everything that you've purchased

• The cost of having unutilized space within your home
  Clutter Cost Formula

• The cost of buying/renting a bigger home to accommodate things that don't spark joy

• The cost of the clutter damaging your home over time

Calendar clutter: time and energy
Refer to Ep 30 | Simply B Organized with Laurie Palau

• The cost of clutter getting in the way of you finding what you need

• The cost of clutter getting in the way of things you truly need to do
  Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
  Refer to Episode 16 | Stress Free Holiday Joy with Amanda Jefferson

• The cost of negative thinking or self talk

• The cost of ignoring your own reality

• The cost of using shopping to cope
  Refer to Episode 31 | Shopaholic No More with Dr. April Benson

• The cost of linking your self worth to a certain type of collection of things or a particular lifestyle

• The cost of clutter that blocks your ability to execute certain physical activities

• The cost of clutter that limits your ability to make healthy choices
  Refer to Episode 3 Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer

• The cost of clutter that limits relationships and your quality of life with your friends and family

• The cost of clutter that prevents you from accessing information critical to uncovering the reality of your finances, preventing you from reaching true wealth/abundance
  Refer to Episode 6 Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks

• The cost of clutter that locks you into consumption patterns that lead you to having no choice in the type of job situation or career choice - even if it’s not ideal
  Refer to the the ChooseFI community

• The cost of clutter that prevents you from pursuing your life purpose/feeling fulfilled, understanding what true joy means to you

Don't worry, we end this episode on a joyful note! We discuss the many ways decluttering can pay you back to counter some of the clutter costs.

Gems:

"Having a storage locker is like going to visit your past mistakes."

"Your space itself is way more valuable than your stuff."

"Is this space honoring what's being stored within it?"

"Is this space supporting the ideal lifestyle that I desire?"

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy