Most us who struggle with anxieties naturally know what the lack of organizing and decluttering does to us. On the other hand, with regular home organizing an decluttering, we live a more productive and stress-free life. If this resonates with you, I invite you to continue reading to learn about the benefits of home organization and decluttering.
Top Reason: The Impact on our Mental Health
In a state of clutter, it feels overwhelming and contributes to feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. Clutter also makes it challenging to focus and leads to procrastination, which causes more stress and anxiety. It’s also challenging to relax and contributes to poor sleep quality, which further exacerbates mental health issues.
Their are extensive studies around the benefits on mental health of decluttering. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Professional Organizers, 91% of respondents feel more in control of their lives after decluttering, and 75% feel less stress. Additionally, a study by Psychology Today finds that people who describe their homes as full of clutter experience more depression and fatigue than those whose homes are clutter-free.
Benefits of Home Organization and Decluttering
Organizing and decluttering our homes has a powerful positive impact on our mental health. Studies show that decluttering reduces stress while improving our overall well-being. Additionally, a clutter-free home improves productivity and creativity. This is because when we organize our homes, we focus more easily and get more done, which leads to a greater sense of accomplishment.
7 Steps to Declutter Your Home and Reduce Stress
① Start small to avoid being over-whelmed too soon in the process:
Begin by decluttering one room or area at a time. This helps to prevent overwhelming feelings and makes the task feel more manageable. Then, slowly progress through your home, one room at a time. This is especially helpful if your are working a full-time job or if it’s been a long time between decluttering sessions.
② Sort items into categories:
When decluttering and organizing your home, sorting your belongings is a great place to start. As you go through items, separate them into four categories:
- Keep
- Donate
- Sell
- Trash
This approach helps you decide which items are valuable enough to hang onto and which ones are better off leaving your home.
③ Re-gifting is a great idea:
In today’s economic climate, if you don’t use something you receive as a gift for a birthday, holiday, or whatever, it’s perfectly OK to re-gift it. In fact, there might a gifting celebration coming up in which those gifts might find their forever home!
However, you might want to be careful about re-gifting back to the same family, so keep a tracking list. Also, coordinate a space in your home for these re-gifting possibilities. Then, they will be on hand when you need them.
④ Set limits on the number of items in each category:
Set limits on the number of items you keep in each category. For example, limit yourself to a certain number of books or clothing items. Of course, this is entirely dependent on the amount of space you have in your home.
So, do what feels comfortable according to your space requirements. If you find a need to set up organizational spaces in your home, keep reading!
⑤ Create a lasting workable system for organizing and decluttering your home:
Create a system for organizing items that you keep. In fact, ottomans, benches, and even chairs come with storage spaces. They’re practical items that double as storage. Use them to decorate your home and keep your stuff out of sight.
Just make sure “out of mind” doesn’t come into play, because then you’ll eventually defeat the purpose of using furniture for storage and decoration. The storage overflows and you wind up with clutter again.
⑥ Follow the one-year rule:
If you have something for a year and you don’t anything with it, get rid of it. Most likely, it’s not benefiting you in any way and it’s taking up space. Do you feel like that object has value and you’re reluctant to part with it, even though you haven’t touched it in a year? Again, you may work this around 2 – 3 – 4 years depending on your space requirements.
A couple of fast options are:
1. Sell it online to get some return on your investment.
2. If no one wants it, donate it to a local charity to keep it out of the garbage can.
⑦ Maintain your organizing and decluttering throughout the year:
Regularly declutter and maintain organization to prevent clutter from building up again. So, set up a yearly schedule and stick to it. If you need to do so, try using a planner to help you stay on top of this task. To get you going in the right direction, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Organize your clothes daily
- Commit to keeping one area of your home clutter-free
- Prepare morning tasks nightly
- Make your bed and clear your nightstand each morning
- Dust daily
- Keep your shower curtain grime-free
- Discard junk mail immediately
Professional sources on the topic of home organizing and de-cluttering:
If decluttering feels overwhelming, consider seeking help from a professional organizer or a friend or family member. Additionally, the sources below provide guidance and support throughout the decluttering process, helping to create a more organized and stress-free home environment.
The Mental Health Benefits of Decluttering – Utah State University
How decluttering your space could make you healthier and happier – the Mayo Clinic
Organizational products to help with decluttering
The beauty of these products is that they create a system for organizing items and prevent clutter from building up again. In fact, there are many organizational products available to help with decluttering, including:
Shelves
Bins and baskets
Drawer organizers
Closet systems
File cabinets
Labels and label makers
Be living proof of the positive effect of organizing and decluttering
Home organization and decluttering has a positive effect on mental health, leading to a more productive and stress-free life. By following the steps to declutter your home and maintaining the organization, you experience the mental health benefits of a clutter-free environment. Additionally, using organizational products and seeking help from a professional home organization service provides additional support and guidance. By unlocking the power of a stress-free home, you live a happier, healthier life.
Conclusion
It is our wish that you find this post enlightening and helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, we love to hear from you in the comments below. Also, kindly accept our invitation to join our group on Facebook to surround yourself with kindred spirits and post your encouraging messages.
