Gary Martin: Consumption culture is crowding our homes with clutter

Most of us are drowning in our own dwellings, surrounded by more belongings than we have the space for.

Our garages are overflowing with stuff, our cupboards are bursting and even our spare rooms double as dumping grounds for everything from forgotten fitness gear to boxes we swore we’d unpack years ago.

Now junk is starting to pile up on the kitchen table and the bedroom floor.

Our homes were once places where we could spread out and relax.

But now many find them brimming with items we barely or never use.

Although most won’t admit it, space has become a major domestic challenge — and the backyard shed is no longer the solution.

We didn’t end up this way overnight.

A consumer culture that’s pushed us to buy far more than we actually need — and can store — is partly to blame.

Easy online shopping has turned impulse buying into an unfortunately common habit.

Personal attachment to certain possessions has also played an important role in keeping our homes cluttered.

If we are honest, we are tied to too many things we no longer need but can’t quite bear to let go of.

We hang on to school memorabilia, unused wedding gifts and clothing even though we don’t need them.

There’s also an increasing fear of contributing to unnecessary waste.

We keep things not because we need them, but because one day we might.

Our obsession with holding on to stuff is causing many to question whether we’ve become a nation of hoarders.

While clinical hoarding disorder is a recognised condition and undoubtedly suffered by some, many more of us simply struggle with over consumption.

But it’s not just the mess that is concerning.

Clutter is known to mess with our mood, focus and even our relationships.

Despite our best intentions to get on top of our clutter, letting go of possessions is often extremely difficult.

Yet there are some things we can do to create more space.

Real change begins when we shift how we think about the things we own.

That means working out what’s genuinely useful or meaningful and what’s simply taking up room.

There’s also the option of minimalism, with its call to live with less.

That advice aside, gifting unwanted goods to second-hand stores or finding new purposes for unused belongings can also help reduce clutter without sending everything to landfill.

The truth is, the space we’re all craving might be just a few carloads to the op shop away.

So when will you make time to sort through that pile of papers, stack of shoes and the overstuffed wardrobe which has been waiting for your attention for far too long?

Professor Gary Martin is CEO of AIM WA and specialist in workplace and social trends