Why Declutter?

Why declutter your home? Psychology Today cited a study by the Univeristy of New Mexico’s Catherine Roster and colleagues in 2016 - the premise was, “Because so many people identify so closely with their home environments, the extent to which it’s cluttered can interfere with the pleasure they experience in that environment”. Roster went on to define “home environment” as more than just a dwelling. It’s, “The broader constellation of experiences, meanings, and situations that shape and are actively shaped by a person in the creation of his or her lifeworld.” Love that!

A few reasons you may want to consider decluttering…

🥴 You’re feeling suffocated, frustrated and overwhelmed at home
🥴 You’re drowning in stuff you don’t use, don’t like, or isn’t helping you in any way at this stage of your life
🥴 You can’t find the stuff you actually need and use
🥴Your home isn’t working for you, it’s working against you and you don't feel comfortable or like it reflects the real you

My goal in decluttering is to live a purposeful, simple, well-intentioned life with my family and have time and energy to make great memories. Prior to decluttering, (even just "Decluttering Lite" over the past few years - ha!) I felt that overwhelm, suffocation and frustration ALL.THE.TIME.

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That excess accumulation of stuff that’s not working for you - AKA clutter ("scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness”) can actually negatively affect your health, specifically your STRESS level.

For many, clutter leads to feelings of stress, including anxiety, depression, inadequacy, confusion and decreased focus. Chronic stress can manifest physically and suppress the immune system. Not to be morbid here, but chronic stress is linked to the SIX leading causes of death (via NIH.gov)!

There are A LOT of stressors today, and we’re also spending a lot of time at home. The time you spend at your home doesn’t have to contribute. Though removing the clutter takes some time up front, that time spent will give you BACK even more time. Time that you can spend making memories with your family, and NOT time spent searching for things to make those memories with, or even NOT making those memories at all because you’re feeling stressed and burnt out. 

To remove clutter and stress is to gain time and energy. It starts with one small step - a drawer, a bag, a cabinet. But once you start it often turns into a snowball effect - start from an initial state of small significance and build upon it.

I have gained significant time back since beginning my decluttering journey. What’s something that you want to make more time for?

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