About this episode
The episode explores the psychology behind hoarding and the challenges of decluttering sentimental items.
Col has hoarded so much stuff he literally owns a forklift to manage it. This week on The Fink Tank, we dig into the psychology of keeping shit you don't need. I LIVE for the moment when someone asks "do we have a cable for this?” and I can produce it from a cluttered box I fought to keep. That feeling is so good it almost justifies the years of stepping over the box. Almost. We’re at Mum’s place, the Fink family home where we grew up, attempting to declutter. Progress is slow. She rarely wants to throw anything out, and we quickly get distracted by sedimentary layers of keepsakes. Our mate Pete Cook wrote a blog that’s helped with my slow recovery: “I think when you buy a thing (as opposed to an experience) you pay for it three times. You pay to buy it. You pay to own it (in physical space, head space, and possibly maintenance and repairs). And then you pay to dispose of it. And generally, we underestimate the cost to own and the cost to dispose. It’s a good reminder to think twice about the next thing I want to buy.“ The complication is that throwing things out feels terrible too. Another item condemned to landfill, when it might come in handy one day. It's a real tension…
People in this episode
Host: Col
Topics covered
- hoarding
- psychology
- decluttering
- family
- sentimental value
Keywords
- hoarding
- decluttering
- psychology
- sentimental items
- family home
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