Ep. 136 - The Cognitive Cost of Clutter

Clutter isn’t just a physical disturbance—it takes a toll on our mental health and cognitive clarity. In this episode, we will look into the unseen price of clutter, learning how it can drain us of our energy, affect our ability to make decisions, and increases stress. Let’s clear the chaos and create room for more of what truly matters. 

 

Transcript

In the past two months, I’ve lived at four different addresses in the process of selling my house. This household hopscotching has required a lot of flexibility, patience, and creativity as I’ve navigated my life between the boxes. 

Now I’ve moved many times in my adult life, so I knew the routine would be packing, purging, and then unpacking again. What struck me is how much *stuff* I’ve accumulated in this adult life. 

While I like to think I live a bit more on the minimal side, the pile of boxes still stacked up around me begs to differ. It is a tangible reminder of how my previous consumption is now simply clutter. 

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that we already have everything we need. Full stop. 

Global consumer spending is estimated to be worth more than $77.2 trillion in 2029 - that’s trillion with a ‘t’. And this will be a 27% increase from 2024–so just in 5 years. 

But a lot of what we own isn’t always accumulated by design – there is this gradual growth to all of this more around us. And it’s not just about the physical things that are cluttered. Our digital lives are just as jammed as our physical ones. 

One of the most popular keynote topics and workshops I teach is about productivity and part of the insight is the discussions about how we aren’t alone in all this super-size surplus of stuff. And the effect of that is an example of unread emails that makes us feel guilty to boxes and bins that are stored away with all the things we once thought was so necessary, we end up harboring things without valuing them. 

Look around right now. How many things do you have that are really valuable vs. convenient? Or how many things do you have multiple of? How many apps are on your devices that you don’t even use anymore? How many browser windows are open? It’s so easy to add-to-cart with just a simple click so we don’t have to get up and go. But all that extra stuff that gets delivered and downloaded, it then simply sits around and takes up space in our space and in our brain.

The extra extra has psychological and neurological impact. The cognitive cost of too much stuff is part of what’s known as “cognitive load theory.” This refers to our brain’s limited capacity to process information. And when we are surrounded by too much, it can lead to overwhelm and stress, which then affects our ability to focus, make decisions, etc. 

More simply said, clutter = stress. 

This can certainly be felt mentally such as when we’re exhausted, impulsive, or when we procrastinate. There is also a physiological connection seen in some cases when the body has increased levels of cortisol, which is that stress hormone. 

Wow, that’s a lot. So what to do about what we have. I’ll offer a few thoughts here:

1. Pause. The best way to reduce clutter, says the experts, is to curb our consumption. Mmm, easier said than done. But the research shows that once we own something, we form an emotional attachment to it. Even if we didn’t buy it personally and were given it, we still think of it now as ours. And if we get newer, better things, there’s part of our brain that says we should keep what we had “just in case.” 
   • Not sure if you do this? Maybe ask your pantry, check into a closet, or that one drawer over there, or your digital desktop, email account that you haven’t looked at in awhile, etc. 
2. Start small. Episode 33 talks about taking Ridiculously Small Steps. Our things have strings – emotional ones anyway. So start in an area that you’re less anxious about. And combine that with:
3. Set a timer. Use an actual clock to release your brain from getting overwhelmed with decisions. So try something like this: I’m going to look through the closet for 10 minutes or I’ll delete 5 apps and close 5 browser windows and that’s it. There’s nothing here about finishing, it’s about starting. And there’s something magical about a little momentum. 

In Episode 52, I reference the book Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. In it, he makes the argument to invest more in experiences rather than adding to the math of our money. Want to leave financial gifts to your loved ones or charitable causes? Great, he says, do it now. 

Have a trip or bucket list item you’ve always wanted to do? Great, he says again, do it now. Savor the experiences while you have the time, health, and loved ones around you. All that saving might add interest percentages, but it delays opportunities. 

“The sad truth is that too many people delay gratification for too long, or indefinitely,” says Perkins. “They put off what they want to do until it’s too late, saving money for experiences they will never enjoy.”

He urges us to lean more into experiences versus possessions. While there are certainly thrills of owning something you want, the ‘things’ can quickly depreciate while experiences gain value over time. This is what Perkins calls a memory dividend. 

So here we are: a little bit of science, psychology, physiology, research. When we learn to enjoy what we have and value what we experience, we can sort the trinkets from the treasures. And as we do, we can value a little bit more because there is more room to enjoy it. And as we do, we get a little bit more opportunity to take care to take good care.