Can we afford to stop caring about clutter?

A leisurely Sunday brunch gave me the chance to read through the entire supplement from yesterday's paper, as well as drink rather a lot of coffee - that coffee may explain my eager reception of "This column will change your life", a short article near the back of the magazine. Need to decluter? Don't bother ... well, that's an interesting perspective!

The article starts with the lack of need to organise digital photos, and ends: "Instead of trying so hard to get organised or decluttered, you could try asking: how much of your disorganisation could you afford to stop caring about?" A good question, with different answers for different situations. I offer some random thoughts...

1. Too much stuff in too little space
2. Inherited items: wanted or not?
3. Items that are needed but have nowhere to "live"
4. Disorganisation that leads to needed items not being findable
5. Unnecessary purchase of duplicates
6. Mess (controlability of)
7. Visual clutter vs mental clutter
8. Must drawers and cupboards be organised, if others never open them?
9. Houseproud friends (competitiveness with)
10. Things kept "just in case"
11. The coldness of bare white walls (fear of)
12. "Afford" = money value only?
13. The legacy of one's mother's attempts to keep everything in order
14. The energy in "stuff" and the way it wears you down

And I (bravely?) present the clutter that has accumulated at the end of the table -

After a while the heaps in the hotspots become invisible - but the photo is the messenger of reality, and I am ashamed of this reality, this propensity to let things lie rather than deal with them. For me, this is when I can't afford to stop caring about disorganisation. It makes me feel bad. I won't be able to leave this lie ... quick answer, move it to a drawer or cupboard.