Decluttering Can Improve Your Life
People start decluttering projects during stressful or turbulent times in their lives or when they simply begin to feel overwhelmed by the chaos. Clearing out the clutter does more than just make your home look neater or more spacious. Decluttering can be a life-transforming process in a multitude of ways. Continue reading to discover 6 ways decluttering can improve your life. This knowledge may be just the motivation you need to start on your path to minimalism.
Gain More Time
Do you want to improve your life? Think of all the time you waste searching for things in your messy or cluttered environment. Consider how often you do not feel like doing much or going anywhere because your cluttered surroundings leave you feeling depressed. Investing the time to clean out and organize your living space will pay off in the hours of your life you take back.
Be More Focused
Another way to improve your life is to clear your mind. A messy environment can cause a lot of distraction. Clutter in direct view is not the only distraction. Your peripheral view also sees the clutter, processing what it sees, which tends to occupy part of your mind. Being surrounded by clutter makes it hard to concentrate and zaps your energy.
According to DePaul University in the article, Cutting through the clutter: Study examines ‘dark side of home,’ “clutter is the overwhelming sum of any number of different objects…it can overwhelm a victim mentally by becoming such a distraction and preoccupation that they can’t focus.” As you can see, an organized space can help with focus.
Certified organizer coach Sarah Stitham of Sarah Stitham Consulting in Olivebridge, says, “Having too much clutter makes it harder for people to think straight, and inhibits life transitions, making it difficult to progress.”
Sleep Better
Whether from the physical or mental exhaustion of releasing things, you will sleep better. By clearing the clutter from your room, you clear clutter from your vision and mind. In turn, you remove external pressures you may not have known were there. Removing external pressure will allow for better sleep.
After a spring-cleaning, how do you feel? I do not know of anyone who does not feel great after spring-cleaning because it refreshes the home and the soul.
Not only does it clear clutter, but it also removes places for dust to settle. Once you finish decluttering, then vacuum and dust, the air will feel cleaner, allowing for better breathing and a deeper and more restful sleep.
Have More Space
By removing physical items from your home, you will be making more space to use for other things. Some creative reorganization or consolidation of your possessions could lead to having an entire room free to put to a new use. For example, you could start a hobby you always wanted to pursue or set up that space as a guest bedroom to host family or friends.
Less to Clean
Who likes to clean? When you have too much stuff around the house, it needs to be dusted, straightened, or cleaned. Decluttering can improve your life by lessening the amount of cleaning time. Dusting is much easier when you do not have a lot of items on counters or desktops. Floors are easier to vacuum when there is not a lot of furniture or other items around.
Make Extra Money
Surely, you have some possessions lying around that would be of value to someone else. Why not gather them up and consider listing them on Craigslist or eBay? The money you make from any sales can go toward your new hobby or guest room.
As you can see, there is so much more to decluttering than you ever realized. This process can lead to tons of positive outcomes if you just open your mind to the possibilities. Hopefully, you are feeling more motivated to start creating your optimal space of peace.
Until next time…
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Citations
DePaul University. (2016, July 20). Cutting through the clutter: Study examines ‘dark side of home’. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 19, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160720170449.htm
Shan, K. M. (2016, January 07). ‘Less is more’ when it comes to clutter. Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2017, from http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2016/01/07/environment-declutter-recycle/78409744/
Great post. Decluttering helps relieve stress…BIG TIME! I Like the point that you can make extra money by decluttering too. It’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate and seldom use.
Exactly Darlene! 😀 And you’re so intuitive…My next post will discuss the possibility of extra money.