If you’ve ever walked into a room full of stuff and tried to defend it, you’ve probably used the phrase: “It’s organised chaos.”
My mum says it all the time. The theory goes that even if a space looks messy to an outsider, you know exactly where everything is.
Except… we didn’t.
Whenever I actually needed a specific item, I’d spend twenty frustrated minutes digging through drawers, turning boxes upside down, and getting increasingly stressed out. The “organisation” was an illusion. The chaos was very real.
The Display Shelf and the Cable Drawer
Before I started paying off my debt, I was a massive hoarder of two specific things: Red Dwarf memorabilia and random tech.
My Red Dwarf collection was everywhere. A lot of it was out on display, but it was so crammed together that it felt suffocating rather than celebratory. It wasn’t a curated collection – it was visual noise. Whatever didn’t fit on the overflowing shelves got shoved into boxes and banished straight to the loft.
Alongside the collectibles were the classic hoarder staples: boxes of obsolete computer parts, mysterious power leads, and “just in case” cables taking up precious drawer space.
Why Visual Noise Wears You Down
In my earlier posts, I talked about how selling my belongings on eBay helped me slice my £21k debt in half. But the financial relief was only half the victory.
Clutter affects you in two distinct ways:
The Hidden Weight: The forgotten boxes in the attic represent delayed decisions and money spent on a whim. The Daily Static: The cluttered display shelves in your living space constantly draw your eye, creating a low-level, background hum of stress you don’t even realise you’re feeling until it’s gone. The Freedom of Less
When I finally stopped lying to myself about “organised chaos” and started aggressively clearing things out – both off the shelves and out of the loft – everything changed:
True Organisation: I no longer waste energy searching for things. Everything I kept has a dedicated, uncluttered home. Mental Clarity: Stripping back the visual noise in my room and clearing the attic instantly lowered my daily anxiety. Extra Momentum: Those Red Dwarf collectibles and tech parts turned out to be absolute gold dust on eBay, converting physical clutter straight into debt repayments. You don’t need every surface covered in stuff to enjoy the things you love, and you don’t need a loft full of “just in case” boxes to feel secure.
If you’re living in “organised chaos,” try clearing off just one crowded shelf or opening one hidden box this weekend. You might be surprised by how much peace of mind is waiting on the other side.