More and more I’m hearing Baby Boomers complain about the clutter in their lives. And, I have to admit, I’m no exception. Plus, a significant number of clients are telling me they are overwhelmed by clutter and can’t seem to get to the things that really matter.

When we redid the office recently, just that one room showed how much “stuff” we’d accumulated and then let sit over the years. I’m proud to say that not everything went back into the office. Instead, the library received a large donation of books, charities received useable items, some antique books are on consignment, and the rest was trashed.

I’ve also been unloading a storage locker for which I’ve been paying good money to store a lot of useless, worthless stuff. As of this writing, every box of junk has been purged and countless bags of garbage have been hauled away each week for the past several months. There’s more reviewing, sorting and pitching left to do, but already it’s a great weight off my shoulders.

The sad thing about this story is that so many other people are facing the same glut of stuff in their homes and lives. In fact, the problem is so prevalent that I’ve come to believe that the Baby Boomers may be the most cluttered generation in history.

So, how did we amass so much clutter? And, how much of our creative energy – not to mention our money -- is being drained, because our stuff has taken charge of our lives? Just how much is the clutter in your life interfering with your creativity?

As I think back over the past 50+ years, I remember times that were far less pressured and far less affluent. Overwhelm in the 1950s was a very different thing than it is today. But as each decade went by, it seemed that affluence increased and the pace of life became so incredibly fast that it became easier and easier to dump “stuff” in boxes to be dealt with “later”. Only “later” never came, and the stuff – now known as clutter – just kept piling up and costing me more and more – time, money, energy, self-respect, to name a few.

Then there’s the issue of families growing smaller. Whereas great-grandma and great-grandpa had four or five or more children to whom to distribute their earthly goods during their old age, today there may be only one or two, sometimes three, kids who inherit not just from mom and pop, but from all sorts of other relatives. In my case, I’ve been “blessed” by my parents, two aunts, my mother’s cousins and a few others with everything from furniture to china to oodles of pictures and papers including baptism certificates, letters exchanged during World War II, home mortgages and military discharge papers! And, of course, all have tremendous sentimental value that has made it very difficult to part with such treasures. I mean, how could I part with something all those good people touched and used and shared with me?!

So, I’ve hung on to this stuff, even though managing it has been a costly nightmare. After all, I’ve been holding it all in trust for the next generation. Let them take care of it! But, guess what. This new generation does not value these things that connect one generation to the next. They want simplicity. I guess you can’t blame them. After all, they’ve been living with us and seeing how all this stuff has taken charge of our lives!

It’s taken a few years and a lot of reflection, but I’ve decided to take this noose off from around my neck. I’ve decided that it’s much better to let go of many of the family treasures, and let others who will use them add them to their lives. When they gather dust in a closet or a storage lo

The sad thing about this story is that so many other people are facing the same glut of stuff in their homes and lives. In fact, the problem is so prevalent that I’ve come to believe that the Baby Boomers may be the most cluttered generation in history.

So, how did we amass so much clutter? And, how much of our creative energy – not to mention our money -- is being drained, because our stuff has taken charge of our lives? Just how much is the clutter in your life interfering with your creativity?

As I think back over the past 50+ years, I remember times that were far less pressured and far less affluent. Overwhelm in the 1950s was a very different thing than it is today. But as each decade went by, it seemed that affluence increased and the pace of life became so incredibly fast that it became easier and easier to dump “stuff” in boxes to be dealt with “later”. Only “later” never came, and the stuff – now known as clutter – just kept piling up and costing me more and more – time, money, energy, self-respect, to name a few.

Then there’s the issue of families growing smaller. Whereas great-grandma and great-grandpa had four or five or more children to whom to distribute their earthly goods during their old age, today there may be only one or two, sometimes three, kids who inherit not just from mom and pop, but from all sorts of other relatives. In my case, I’ve been “blessed” by my parents, two aunts, my mother’s cousins and a few others with everything from furniture to china to oodles of pictures and papers including baptism certificates, letters exchanged during World War II, home mortgages and military discharge papers! And, of course, all have tremendous sentimental value that has made it very difficult to part with such treasures. I mean, how could I part with something all those good people touched and used and shared with me?!

So, I’ve hung on to this stuff, even though managing it has been a costly nightmare. After all, I’ve been holding it all in trust for the next generation. Let them take care of it! But, guess what. This new generation does not value these things that connect one generation to the next. They want simplicity. I guess you can’t blame them. After all, they’ve been living with us and seeing how all this stuff has taken charge of our lives!

It’s taken a few years and a lot of reflection, but I’ve decided to take this noose off from around my neck. I’ve decided that it’s much better to let go of many of the family treasures, and let others who will use them add them to their lives. When they gather dust in a closet or a storage l

As I think back over the past 50+ years, I remember times that were far less pressured and far less affluent. Overwhelm in the 1950s was a very different thing than it is today. But as each decade went by, it seemed that affluence increased and the pace of life became so incredibly fast that it became easier and easier to dump “stuff” in boxes to be dealt with “later”. Only “later” never came, and the stuff – now known as clutter – just kept piling up and costing me more and more – time, money, energy, self-respect, to name a few.

Then there’s the issue of families growing smaller. Whereas great-grandma and great-grandpa had four or five or more children to whom to distribute their earthly goods during their old age, today there may be only one or two, sometimes three, kids who inherit not just from mom and pop, but from all sorts of other relatives. In my case, I’ve been “blessed” by my parents, two aunts, my mother’s cousins and a few others with everything from furniture to china to oodles of pictures and papers including baptism certificates, letters exchanged during World War II, home mortgages and military discharge papers! And, of course, all have tremendous sentimental value that has made it very difficult to part with such treasures. I mean, how could I part with something all those good people touched and used and shared with me?!

So, I’ve hung on to this stuff, even though managing it has been a costly nightmare. After all, I’ve been holding it all in trust for the next generation. Let them take care of it! But, guess what. This new generation does not value these things that connect one generation to the next. They want simplicity. I guess you can’t blame them. After all, they’ve been living with us and seeing how all this stuff has taken charge of our lives!

It’s taken a few years and a lot of reflection, but I’ve decided to take this noose off from around my neck. I’ve decided that it’s much better to let go of many of the family treasures, and let others who will use them add them to their lives. When they gather dust in a closet or a storage l