We deserve to be comfortable.
Clutter creates discomfort. It's difficult to live with things that don't fit us emotionally and physically.
Sometimes we hang on to things because we think we should be comfortable with something.
I see this often with the books that clients own. They want to hang on to a book that they're not reading, or are struggling to get through because other people have said it's a must read. I keep them coming back to their experience of not actually enjoying the book. You can't fake comfort.
Other times we hang on because it used to fit us physically and emotionally. We have happy memories of the comfort the thing once brought us.
I was working recently with a client who wanted to hang onto bags of her now fully grown son's toddler clothes stored in her basement. When she talked about the clothes, her voice changed to the high-pitched sing-songy sound of a mother talking to her little one. She also seemed sad. I pointed out the sadness. She thought about it. She realized she was sad because she didn't want to admit her son was grown up. Then she noticed the clothes were frayed and they smelled mildewy. She let them go.
We can get used to not being comfortable. It can seem normal to us.
That's why we look and ask, "Do I like this now? Am I using this now? Would I buy this today?" This helps us find what makes us uncomfortable. "I really don't care for this. It's a distraction in my space. It irritates me. I want it out of here."
Our personal comfort is worth the effort.