You’ve tried The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and read every piece of advice from Gwyenth Paltrow on the subject, but still can’t get a handle on all the mess and clutter in your home.
Rather than throwing everything away, you’ve simply moved it all to the attic/cupboard/spare room in the hope that you don’t have to actually deal with it.
Sound familiar?
Well now science might have a solution for you, which means you won’t struggle with parting with sentimental items – whether that’s your childhood teddy bear, a winning sports jersey or even a dress from a birthday long gone.
Researchers from the Ohio State University found people were more willing to chuck out sentimental things as long as they had a photo of the item.
That’s right a photo of sentimental clutter might give you the reassurance and confidence you need to finally part with unnecessary goods (looking at you old baby clothes).
“What people really don’t want to give up is the memories associated with the item,” says Rebecca Reczek, co-author of the study and associate professor of marketing at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. “We found that people are more willing to give up these possessions if we offer them a way to keep the memory and the identity associated with that memory.”
Even if you really struggle with getting rid of clutter, the study found it’s possible to change your mindset… but it takes some work.
“It is not terribly surprising that we can keep the same memories alive just by taking a photo of these possessions, but it is not a natural behavior. It is something we have to train ourselves to do,” she said.
However the benefits of changing your behaviour to storing memories digitally rather than physically can have a profound affect on your life, as you clear up clutter and make space in your home.
Doesn’t that thought enough just give you a little bit of peace of mind?
