Declutter to Relieve Stress

Photo by cocokelley

Clutter is a common side effect in our current consumer culture.  We constantly buy more, get more and keep more.  We always want more, but very rarely do we get rid of more in order to get more.  In fact, most of us keep our acquisitions hoping they will continue to give us the same joy they did in the beginning.  Then as our tastes change or our things have overstayed their welcome, we refuse to let them go and eventually put them into storage, or the garage to keep them for a later date when we hope they’ll become useful again.  I’m guilty of this as are many of the people I talk to on a daily basis.

Are you guilty of clutter?  Do you keep things longer than they are useful? Is there really a reason to get rid of those extra things you have sitting around?

6 Reasons to Clear Your Clutter

1. Reduce Stress

Clearing clutter has been shown to reduce stress in every situation.  You will not have to search as much to find your things, and you will not be constantly visually or even physically bombarded by things, notes or paperwork.  Clearing and organizing an area will reduce the amount of visual stimulation you are subjected to at every moment of your day.  A clear space will allow you to have a clearer and more focused mind.

2. Improve Visual Appearance of an Area

This is obvious, but when we start to allow clutter to take over our lives, we often forget how amazing a space can look and feel without all of that clutter just lying around.  Clearing the clutter and cleaning the space, will not only make it feel better, but the stark contrast between the cluttered space and the new clean space is so amazing that it will instantly relax you.

3. Become More Organized

When you organize your space, it’s so much easier to find the things you wan, not to mention, it will save you time digging through useless junk just to find the one thing you actually need.  As you get more organized, you will not only save time, but also energy that would have been wasted on searching.

4. Eliminate Old and Useless Items

Clearing clutter will give you the opportunity to sort out all of your junk and get rid of all those things you haven’t touched or even thought about in ages.  These things are taking up space, and therefore energy, in your life.  Get rid of all these things that aren’t doing you any good, whether they be books, papers, or even old dishes and housewares.  Get rid of these things and you will thank yourself the next day.

5. Have More Space

Get rid of that stuff filling up all the space in your house, and what do you have?  More space.  You can use your new space to relax in, start new projects or even get new things that you are actually going to enjoy.  You can use your space wisely rather than just laying something there and letting it sit.

4 Easy Steps to Clear Clutter

1. Set a Goal

Before you just jump into a house full of clutter, it’s best to break the project down into small slices and make a goal based on a certain area.  Usually you can set a goal to clear the clutter on a single room, though if you are strapped for time, or are overwhelmed with clutter, it might be best to designate an area, like the kitchen counter or the computer desk.  Setting a goal will make it much easier and ease the feeling of overwhelm that we often encounter when we decide to try to clear our clutter.  Break it down into baby steps and it will be much easier.

2. Make 3-4 Categories for sorting

I make piles, some people use bins, you can do whatever works best for you.  Choose a couple Categories.  I usually have  3-4 Categories.

• Trash Pile
• Sell/Give Away
• Sort/Put Away

3. Move quickly and sort as you go, then move the objects to the appropriate place.

If you use the sort pile concept, you won’t be wasting time putting things away while clearing your clutter, you will be focused on clearing clutter out of the space, then when you have created the piles, you can put things in their proper place.

4. Quit

Often quitting isn’t the advice you get from most personal development blogs, but once you have reached your goal, quit.  Go do something else, don’t just rush through the entire space, take a breather.  If you have designated the day as a declutter day, then take a short break, grab a drink of water and enjoy the new space before moving on to the next area.

Clearing your clutter can change your life in many ways, and doing it really isn’t as hard as it always seems, it’s just a matter of getting started.  Find a space and set a goal, then get started.  It usually doesn’t take as long as it seems that it will.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan

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