6 Awesome Benefits of Decluttering Your Home

Decluttering, cleaning, and putting your home in order is much more than a hip current trend. Research shows us that it is a great way to live happier, healthier, and more productive lives. Clutter distracts us, slows down productivity, and stifles creativity.

So, what exactly is clutter?

• A collection of things lying around in an untidy mess.
• Anything you are holding on to that does not add value to your life.

First, start with a purge!

I happen to love to purge! There, I said it. While some folks tend to hoard and have trouble discarding items no longer useful, I get a secret thrill out of getting rid of things we no longer use. There is something so satisfying about handing over a box of donated items.

If you are looking around your living room or bedroom closet and feeling overwhelmed, don’t panic. Simply pick the easier of the two and start from there. For example, if your closet is jammed packed so full that items fall out and hit you on the head when you open the door, then pick a different room. Once you fine-tune your purging and sorting skills, you will be ready to tackle the more challenging rooms.

Next, make three piles:

1. Keep (keep only if you have used/worn this item in the last 12 months and absolulty love the item)
2. Donate/sell
3. Toss

Do not spend a lot of time on this process. Avoid getting stuck by taking a trip down memory lane with each item or feeling guilty because your favorite aunt gave you a strange knick knack when you were ten and you really do not like it. If you do not positively love it or use it, let it go. Also, making quick decisions will leave you feeling inspired and energized.

What to do if the people you live with are messy?

I grew up in a small, extremely tidy bungalow in Detroit, Michigan. My parents were neat freaks and insisted their two daughters follow suit. When I think back to my childhood, I can not recall so much as a single toy not returned to the toybox or an empty cup not washed, dried, and put away. Our beds were expected to be made each morning with the center seam that ran vertically down the middle of the bedspread lined up precisely with the middle spindle of the headboard. 

Although some of my parent’s rules were deemed excessive, I admit I enjoyed keeping my room in an orderly fashion and was a natural-born organizer. I would spend hours arranging and rearranging my room, cabinets, drawers, and toys. 

When I got married and realized that my husband was my polar opposite in just about every way and especially when it came to being neat and organized, there was an adjustment period. As they say, opposites attract, and with just the two of us, we made it work. (I think I should clarify that I made it work because, in all actuality, his messiness only bothered me) However, what was a more difficult pill to swallow was discovering that all three of my children took after my husband.  My offspring were happy to hang out in their bedrooms which looked like they had been shot out into space and dropped back down and even though every family member spends time and energy looking for keys, books, articles of clothing, none of them could see the value of decluttering and keeping it that way. 

Today, when I am feeling unorganized or not as productive, I can usually trace the problem back to some type of clutter creeping into my working space. My advice to you is if you are swimming in someone else’s clutter, focus on your own space and common areas. Come up with some rules for the shared living spaces like living room, kitchen, and bathroom. You most likely will need to keep a visual chart up of your expectations and remind often. Keep their clutter confined to their bedrooms and close the door.

I am a big Louise Hay fan and I check back periodically to one of my favorite when I am feeling stuck resources, You Can Heal Your Life. Hay explains that a cluttered home produces a cluttered mind and suggests as you clean the closet, tell yourself you are cleaning out the closets of your mind. Her advice works for clearing out the cobwebs in your brain. Read below for a few more benefits.

The benefits of a decluttered home:

1. Energy surge: Sometimes, the hardest part of declutteringis actually getting started. However, once you get into motion the activity propels you into getting it done mode. This attitude carries over to other items on your list. Plus, it helps you to get rid of decision fatigue. The more stuff you own, the more decisions you have to make.
2. The gift of time: Once the job is done, it is like a gentle, warm and welcoming breeze is floating throuogh your living space. The next time you are on your way out the door, you will know exactly where your car keys are. Without the overwhelming amount of clothes and shoes to sift through when picking out an outfit, deciding what to wear for the day is easy.
3. Uncover lost treasures: You will most likely discover a few things you have not seen in a long time. This always happens when I have been called upon to help one of my children find a lost article. We end up finding all sorts of itmes we have not seen in ages.
4. Fill your home with a sense of harmony: According to the princeples of Feng Shui, clutter has a negative impact on your space and blocks the flow of chi. By improving the energy flow of your space, you will enjoy a more peaceful and zen attmosphere.
5. Calm anixity and stress: Decluttering your home can help make you feel in control, calmer, and happier. A space that is tidy and neat can make for a more relaxed mind.
6. Quiet the mind: We are living in a world where sounds, ideas, and images are being thrown at us from the moment we open our eyes in the morning. With social media, computers, phones, TV, we are overstimulated. Our minds to not get that quiet restful time that we need. By making our home environment serene, clutter-free, and organized, we are giving our brain a break.

Keep calm and clutter-free my friends!