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When you think of spring what comes to mind?
For me, I think of decluttering my home, having a yard sale, giving my space a good deep down spring cleaning and, flinging up the windows to let the fresh air in and the stale air of winter out.
I love this time of year for those main reasons.
How about you? Can you relate?
I know many of you do, but I also know that many of you struggle with the decluttering and cleaning process. You don’t know where to start and what to do first.
I can help you with that. But first, we have to get our mindset straight about why it’s so important to declutter in the first place.
Table of Contents
THE TOP FIVE BENEFITS OF DECLUTTERING YOUR SPACE
IT CAN REDUCE FINANCIAL PRESSURES
Because money is tied to everything we do, I wanted to start with my #1 reason. Decluttering often means more than just redistributing or organizing your existing possessions. Once you’ve gotten rid of what you don’t need, decluttering helps you to start thinking about the things you bring into your home, especially if you’re prone to impulse buys. Take control of your spending by making a list of all the things you bring home and how much you spend in a week. Then go through your list and mark whether or not those items were things you really needed or wanted. But as you review your purchases for their personal value, don’t be too strict. If you deprive yourself, you could end up having a buying “relapse.” Aim for things that really bring you joy and add something to your life, not just as a substitute for what’s missing.
IT REDUCES ANXIETY
Cluttered spaces are chaos for the mind, overwhelming your already-taxed brains with too much sensory information. With the excess stimuli created by a disorganized home, your brain becomes easily overwhelmed, which can make you increasingly irritable. Even worse, clutter can become a vicious shame spiral: It increases stress, making you more ashamed or embarrassed about your home, which invites even more stress. To get on the right track, start small. Separate your decluttering into manageable daily steps. So, toss junk mail one day, then hang up your clothes the next day, and continue like that until you’ve completed the tasks at hand.
IT CAN IMPROVE SLEEP
Your mind doesn’t shut off just because you close your eyes. Deep, restorative REM sleep helps your brain perform complicated decision-making and memory processing. While mental processing is greatly reduced while you sleep, parts of our brains are still interpreting external stimuli — scanning for dangers that might have existed in prehistoric times. If your cluttered home is stressing you out before bed, it can make it harder to wind down and even prevent you from getting the deep sleep your body and mind requires. Clear your bedroom – move out any working projects (laundry that needs to be folded and “trigger” items like your computer). This behavioral trick will signal to your brain that once you lie down, it’s time for nothing else but rest.
IT CAN BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY AND CREATIVITY
Some of the best brainstorming happens at home – usually in the shower! Removed from the pressures of the office, your mind can wander over previously unexamined solutions to problems. Neuroscientists call this the “incubation period” — a time when you can riff freely without deadlines or stress from co-workers. This goes with research that finds that the happier you are, the more creative you’ll tend to be — but not if you’re distracted and overwhelmed.
IT CAN FREE UP YOUR SCHEDULE
If your house is a mess, you’re probably familiar with searching frantically for your keys, wallet or purse on your way out the door in the morning. That annoyed feeling can completely change how you see your home. Instead of thinking of home as a place of rest and peace, it becomes a source of constant irritation. As you begin the decluttering process, free up some room to stash essential items (wallet, keys, phone) in a place you can find them easily.
All great reasons to start decluttering right?
CONCLUSION
So what are you going to declutter first and what method will you use? Will you jump in with both feet and do a significant purge or try the little at a time method?
And let me know how your decluttering is going and how I can help you! I’m always looking for more tools to create for you that help you have A Mess Free Life!
I’m a professional cleaner with over 13 years of hands-on experience cleaning homes, a published writer, certified money specialist, and the founder of A Mess Free Life. After paying off over $50,000 in debt, I dedicated myself to helping others master their homes and their money — proving that a clean, organized, stress-free life is possible no matter where you’re starting from. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me cooking, playing bocce, sipping an extra dirty martini, or enjoying the ocean with my cats nearby. I’m also a proud mom and grandma who cares deeply for my mother at home.
