Unless you are dedicated to a minimalist lifestyle, we are all guilty of having clutter in our life. Whether it is a busy schedule, laziness, or procrastination that has allowed for stuff to pile up in your home, clutter can quickly become widespread and difficult to get rid of. And it is important to know that clutter does not only include physical items, but also uncompleted tasks and even things muddling up your desktop. All of this stuff does have an effect on your physical and mental health, as well as your moods, attention levels, and overall quality of life.
Here are 5 reasons why you should declutter your life.
1. More Space In Your Home
One of the first benefits of decluttering you might notice is the incredible amount of space that you have regained. Your belongings take up space, and if you have a lot of it on your tables, shelves, counters, and floors, you’ll quickly diminish the amount of room you have to live in your house.
You’ll be amazed at how great it feels to be able to move freely through your house without having to avoid clutter and to have enough space to properly use your desk. With fewer things taking up space and proper organisation, you will be able to live much more efficiently. It will feel less crowded and you can fully appreciate the actual size of the rooms in your home. You might have thought that your house is too small for you and even wanted to move out—take the time to reduce your belongings and you might realise that your house is perfectly adequate, maybe even too large!
One underrated benefit of having more space is that it is great to have room to be able to just breathe. With no clutter around, your place will feel less claustrophobic and generally, become a much nicer place to live.
2. Have More Time For Other Things
Your stuff costs you time—not only when you purchase them, but also the time it takes to build, use, maintain, and clean. However, the clutter you leave around your home are things you rarely use. Why spend so much time on things that you do not use or appreciate?
Just think of how much time you would save if you had fewer items to clean and maintain. With your busy work, social, and family life, any extra time gained will be of great benefit. Time is extremely valuable—probably the most valuable thing you have—and can be used for things that make you happy. Spend time with friends and family, indulge in your favourite hobby, and exercise; now with less stuff, you have more time for the fun things.
3. Save Money By Having Less Stuff
With the time it takes to buy, maintain, and clean your belongings, there are also monetary costs. Buying cleaning supplies for the maintenance of your items can drive up expenses significantly.
Think of items that require special purchases to keep safely and properly. Clothes that require dry cleaning or specialised polish for a decoration piece, for example. If you rarely use these items or if they do not have a real functional purpose, you are spending quite a bit of money on something you don’t need. Don’t just look at your items as one-time purchases, think of the additional, hidden costs of keeping them.
Also, if you are planning to move house in the future, you will be well-prepared. With fewer items to transport, you will save money—either through lower moving expenses or quicker process for a DIY move. Additionally, decluttering is a great opportunity to sell your unwanted items. Have a huge car boot sale or go online to make some money to be used for better things!
4. Improve Your Ability To Focus
Aside from the obvious advantages of decluttering—space, time, and money—there are other benefits. Specifically, these are related to your physical and mental health. Multiple stimuli, or clutter, diminishes your ability to focus and process information, since they all compete for your attention. With greater focus, you can increase productivity tenfold and tackle incomplete tasks and projects much more quickly and effectively.
After you get rid of unnecessary items, distractions disappear and you can get on with your day. Couple this with a functional organisation system and your ability and motivation to get things done will improve significantly.
An additional benefit here is, once you can get these tasks done, you will have the amazing feeling of accomplishment. If you had a massive pile of paperwork sitting on your desk for months, think about how great it would feel to finish it. What about that DIY project you’ve been putting off because of clutter and distractions? Less stuff and better focus makes these tasks easier to handle!
5. Less Stress Is The Best
Accompanying this improved ability to focus is reduced stressed. With less stimuli vying for your attention, you won’t feel overwhelmed by everything in your home. Most people enjoy having some level of structure and organisation in their lives so once this is achieved, your stress levels will drop.
Decluttering is the chance to emotionally detach yourself from material possessions and appreciate real experiences with the people that are important to you. Your mood and personality will improve, become more stable, and better reflect your real thoughts. Without stuff to clutter your mind, you will be able to think more clearly, relax, and reduce stress.
These are a few benefits of decluttering that you can experience if you take the time and effort to sort out your belongings. It is important to note that all of these benefits interact with each other in innumerable ways. For example, enhanced focus lets you complete tasks much more quickly, freeing up more time for things you love, which in turn reduces your overall stress levels. More space fosters a better living environment, allowing you to fully relax and enhance your quality of life. With decluttering, you’ll have great improvements in all aspects of your life.
