CLUTTERMEISTER
  • home
  • virtual services
  • clutteraware
  • speaker
  • clues
    • blog
    • audiovisual
    • publications
    • in the media
    • testimonials
  • contact

How much do you really need?

23/11/2020

 
Picture
I find that a lot of my client’s problems are a result of their inability to balance their sense of “what they need” with “what they want”. It’s hard to distinguish between those two things, especially if you are susceptible to the regular drip-feed of marketing and advertising that we are exposed to throughout our waking hours.

Just walking through your part of town, you’ll come across billboards next to the roads and at bus stops, enticing images in every shop window and on flyers. TV and radio shows are regularly interrupted by advertisements that have nothing whatsoever to do with the content of the show, you’ll be exposed to constant popups and hidden advertorials on your social media.
It has become more and more difficult to distinguish what’s social media content and what is trying to grab your attention and make you buy stuff… besides that, there are other elements at play here, like shopping addiction, peer pressure, and dare I say boredom?

Of course, this leaves many of us wanting MORE, especially if your possessions define who you are to a large degree. There is nothing wrong with wearing nice clothes and having interesting things, don’t get me wrong! The problem lies not so much in the fact that you own something, but that you own too much of it.

Let’s play with this for a moment! If you look at your wardrobe, how many of the clothes have you not worn for a long time? How many items do you keep because ‘you’ll wear them again one day’? How many have you only worn a handful of times?

My thoughts on this subject may sound radical: I’d rather have fewer items I wear regularly than a plethora of shirts that I’ll end up not wearing enough because my size changes, because they are out of style or because I don’t like them as much as others. Let’s face it: some items were bad buying choices, some don’t fit, some we want to keep for when we drop by 5 kilos again, etc.

Speaking for myself: my wardrobe is so small that I sometimes here people ask me how I can stick with so little? I’d argue that there is such a thing as a capsule wardrobe for both women AND men: choose some basic hardworking items and fluff them up with highlights like a single bright piece of clothing. Add a choice of jewellery, scarves, etc. and you can make those few standard pieces shine and look different each time. It’s easier and less space-hugging to have a change of highlight pieces than to have a large number of different outfits that stand on their own and are only used occasionally.

The classic example for this specific outlook is Steve Jobs. He wore the same outfit pretty much all the time – that’s not to say he wore the same trousers all the time, but that he had several of the same kind! And he didn’t even need to use highlight items beyond the occasional slideshow on the wall behind him…

It’s true that men in work tend to wear the same stuff anyway due to convention, but then there are exceptions to the rule. Women seem to feel that it’s necessary and expected to show up with a new item each time they make their way out of the house and this makes me wonder just how much of this idea is societal pressure and how much is really something women actively feel they want to do. There’s that distinction between “need to” and “want to” again…
If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:
  • Limiting space
  • Two of each is one too many
  • Shopping spree

Comments are closed.

    Ask the ClutterMeister

    Picture
    Hi, my name is Tilo Flache. My mission: help clients declutter mind and space.
    This blog contains pointers for your journey towards a happier living experience.

    If you want to share a post, please add a link to the original post. Thanks.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2023
    July 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
All information refers to Tilo Flache t/a ClutterMeister.  © 2015-2025
  • home
  • virtual services
  • clutteraware
  • speaker
  • clues
    • blog
    • audiovisual
    • publications
    • in the media
    • testimonials
  • contact