Is Aspirational Clutter Weighing Down Your Home? Here's How to Let It Go

We all carry an idea of the person we want to be. Maybe it’s the yogi who wakes up at 5 a.m. to flow through sun salutations, the home cook rolling out fresh pasta on a Sunday afternoon, or the crafter who transforms Facebook Marketplace finds into picture-perfect DIY projects. These dreams can inspire us, but they also leave behind something else: clutter.

Professional organizer Dr. Regina Lark calls this aspirational clutter. She says we hold onto objects because they represent who we wish we were, rather than who we are. “Aspirational clutter is one of the most emotionally complex categories to tackle,” she says. “It’s also one of the biggest barriers to creating a functional, peaceful home.”

Aspirational clutter isn’t just about stuff. It’s about identity and emotion. Letting go of your embroidery supplies can feel like letting go of the idea that you could be a creative person. Clothes that don’t fit trigger shame about body image.

She points out that many women in particular carry layers of pressure to be better—thinner, calmer, more accomplished, better mothers or partners. That often shows up in piles of cookbooks, self-help manuals, and fitness gear. Men, on the other hand, tend toward entrepreneurial “someday” clutter like stacks of business books, guitars, camping gear, or culinary gadgets.

“Clutter is really delayed decisions,” Lark explains. “We hold on because we think: I’ll get to this later, when I have the time. But if you have a difficult relationship with time, ‘later’ rarely comes.”

Be Cautious of 'Someday' Thinking

Aspirational clutter thrives on fantastical thinking. It’s the idea that once you buy the right item or set aside an afternoon, you’ll emerge from your cocoon transformed into a better version of yourself. But those afternoons rarely arrive. “What we should be doing is asking simple, critical questions,” Lark says. “What would have to change in my life for me to actually use this? The truth is, most people never pause to answer those questions."

Types of Clutter to Watch Out For

Do you have an aspirational clutter problem? These categories can be thought starters. Consider whether these items are actively being used, or if they're just adding to household clutter.

Stacks of books: Many of Lark’s clients keep piles of books, mindfulness guides, organization manuals, or self-improvement titles, not because they read them, but because owning them feels like proof that they’re "a reader" or someone committed to growth. She says men collect business books but usually fail to open them, let alone launch. You'll find them covered in dust on bedside tables.

Unfinished craft projects: From knitting needles to sheets of colored felt, crafting often begins with excitement and ends with bins of half-finished projects and lots of materials. “There’s always the thought that if I just buy one more thing, I’ll get started,” says Lark.

Kitchen tools: The fancy pot, the pasta maker, the knives. Culinary fantasy drives a lot of purchases. Instead, your tools sit in cupboards and drawers waiting for a dinner party that never happens.

Workout gear: Home gyms, yoga mats, resistance bands, free weights—you name it. The real challenge isn’t equipment, but carving out time and energy to use them.

'Someday' clothes: Outfits in smaller sizes can make you feel like a failure every time you open the closet. Instead of motivating, these items become a burden that never fits your life or body.

Instruments: You want to be the person who can sit down at a party and play a few songs on the piano or join a garage band to live out your inner rock fantasy. But before you can do that, you need to learn to play. It takes time, commitment, and lessons. If you don't see yourself following through, reconsider the instruments.

Camping supplies: The idea of rugged individualism drives people to collect outdoor gear or survivalist tools. Yet, these items sit untouched in storage while life goes on in the comfort of home. Unless you regularly go camping, consider renting supplies for a one-time excursion.

How to Start Decluttering

If you hold onto all of these things, the clutter grows. Lark offers practical steps to gently loosen the grip of aspirational clutter without guilt or shame.

Ask why, not when: Why do you want to do this activity? Is it aligned with your current life or a fantasy?

Do a reality check: What would have to shift in your day or week to make you use these items? Instead of criticizing yourself for not following through, get curious. Did something interrupt you? Can you try a different approach or schedule a time to take action?

Take a small action: Call a friend to join you at yoga, schedule 30 minutes for the junk drawer, or buy the one missing tool that will help you finish a project.

Set a timer: Whether it’s clearing a kitchen island or tackling a drawer, assign a time limit so the task feels doable. Small tasks grow into larger successes.

Be kind to yourself: “Do not label, judge, or resent yourself,” says Lark. “Aspiration is beautiful. But if the stuff attached to it is making you feel worse. It’s time to let it go.”

A Realistic Way to Aspire

The goal isn’t to stop aspiring. It’s to turn your aspirations into reality. “People with aspirations are thinkers, and they have goals,” Lark says. “They want to look, sound, and feel better. It’s laudable.”

She recommends before buying one more thing—say a cookbook, for example—commit to trying a new recipe at a weekly or monthly cadence. If you haven’t tried the recipes in the cookbook you have, owning more cookbooks doesn’t help your clutter situation, and it certainly doesn't up your culinary game.

As Lark puts it, “It’s always great to aspire. But ask yourself: What’s getting in my way? And if it’s causing you grief, maybe the kindest thing you can do is stop holding on.”