Big Benefits When You Declutter Your Home & Life

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The biggest benefit when you declutter your home is you will be more organized, efficient, and productive and this will free up time for you to spend doing the things you love!

Except for a few tiny home dwellers out there, most of us have way too much stuff. This is why decluttering has become so significantly popular.

Some of our homes are filled to bursting and some of us suffer from distraction because our heads are swimming in too much information. We all need to decide for ourselves what is too much.

There are many other benefits of decluttering, and these offer the promise of creating more physical space and better mental health.

If you are thinking about getting on the decluttering train, begin now because you are probably only procrastinating the inevitable decluttering process. The longer you wait the more stuff you will have to deal with.

What is clutter?

I am sure what I call clutter and what you call clutter are entirely different things. I can't focus in a roomful of stuff so I just live with what I use regularly. For instance, I have no use for a dining table and decided years ago the table I have serves me much better in my art studio.

I also have bare walls in my home because I prefer it this way. This is just me. You know what you use and you know what is unnecessary excess in your home.

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Is it hard to declutter?

Some people live with clutter because it is hard to let go of anything. Some people don't mind clutter a bit and then there are people like me who can't stand an excess of anything.

There are different types of clutter and there is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Some folks need medical intervention, due to a hoarding situation, and for these folks, I urge them to seek professional help. Hoarding disorder is a mental health problem that a doctor can diagnose and is different from general clutter that the average home builds up over time.

I have seen the amazing changes people can and do make when shown a better way of living.

Some folks do not notice clutter, this is called clutter blindness. Everyone is different.

Even for me, decluttering certain areas can be a challenge. Items with sentimental value, old photos, etc can be difficult to discard.

Books are another tough thing to deal with for some people. I only keep books I think I may read again.

I know, I was partial to holding a book too. The truth is, at least for me, my online books library is available to me no matter where I am, the books take up no physical space and they can be easier to read because the light source is built in and the size of the text can be adjusted to my preference.

If you need help organizing books read How To Declutter Books And Organize Bookshelves.

Decluttering can positively impact your life, health, and overall well-being.

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Benefits to Decluttering

More physical space and organized systems

The first thing decluttering your living space creates is more physical space in your home. A little newfound space feels pretty good. What you may not realize is aspects of clutter may cause stress.

We get frustrated when we can't find the things we need. This causes stress.

Many homes have lots of duplicate things due to repurchasing the things you can't find. Giving away duplicates would be easy for me because I love giving stuff away!

There are financial benefits to decluttering. If you don't have an organized system in place to pay your bills this can create a problem causing overdraft fees, services to be disconnected, and affect credit scores negatively.

I visualize my home as my nest. When I round the corner to my home I begin to feel tension slip away, especially after a crazy, hectic day. It is important to come home to a peaceful environment to recharge and relax and to do the things that bring you joy.

Safety hazards and health issues

Too much clutter in some homes creates potential falling and fire hazards, especially for older, less spry people.

Allergy sufferers are sometimes slow to make the connection between dust and mold attributing to allergies and breathing difficulties.

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Sense of accomplishment and achievement

Most people I know admit they need to declutter and are slow to commit to getting the done job- so nothing changes and time ticks by allowing more clutter to accumulate. The eventual day will come and you or someone else will need to start discarding your possessions.

When you do make the commitment and start to feel the positive effects of living with less clutter you will feel a big sense of accomplishment.

Improved mental health

A clutter-free space can have a positive impact on your overall mental health. I don't enjoy shopping, at all. The infrequent times I have to go into a store I feel a visual overload, I feel distracted, and unable to focus because there is too much stuff. To me, it translates as really loud bad music.

I hear from clients how frustrating it is to not have proper space on cluttered kitchen counters to prepare a simple meal or to never be able to find what they need at that moment.

Streamlined daily life

I dislike clutter because I have always preferred the look of a sparsely furnished space, straight lines, and a monochromatic color scheme for my no-fuss physical living spaces.

With less stuff around it is much easier to maintain a clean home. It would make me nutty to spend time dusting and moving stuff around to clean surfaces.

With more time I get to focus on doing the things I love to do, like being outdoors with my pups, being creative, and visiting friends!

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Thoughtful decisions

It makes me sad when I learn a person has been living with a lot of things they never liked and even wanted. By the time I am consulted, homes are packed with so much stuff the homeowner never even wanted.

Some people cannot make decisions. This is a huge obstacle when decluttering.

There are times when a parent dies, and children when cleaning out their estates bring all this excess stuff into their homes.

People are often emotionally wrought during these times and bring this stuff home with little forethought of what they will do with it all.

Decluttering provides you with a clean canvas and a creative license to reimagine your living space. Sadly many folks do not enjoy their physical surroundings until they are older and more confident to decide their preferences.

By getting rid of lots of unnecessary items, you make room for the things you love and are meaningful to you.

Attachment to possessions

Many people form emotional attachments to their possessions. This is why making decisions, especially for sentimental items, is difficult for many. Parting with items can be difficult, especially when they hold sentimental value.

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Overzealous decluttering

Sometimes, in the pursuit of a minimalist lifestyle, people may go overboard and get rid of things they later regret. It's essential to find a balance between decluttering and maintaining necessary items.

My tip of the day is to never declutter another's possessions. I have never known this method to work well.

Time-consuming process

Decluttering can be a time-consuming process, especially if you have accumulated lots of items over the years. Decluttering requires a commitment, a plan, effort, and dedication to declutter your entire home.

Decluttering a large house with family members may help to make the obstacle of decision-making easier. With everyone working as a team quick decisions are more likely.

Remember to put a maintenance plan in place after you all declutter. Now that everyone is invested you may be able to share the responsibilities to keep your newly clean home decluttered.

Maintaining a decluttered space

For a person new to living with less clutter, maintaining a clutter-free space can be challenging, as it requires ongoing effort. Without vigilance, clutter can creep back into your life, making it an ongoing process rather than a one-time solution.

I recommend folks who truly want to live in a more organized and clutter-free space look at their ingrained habits if they want to live clutter-free. Habits such as overspending and buying, not tidying up consistently after finishing a task, procrastinating, etc need to be examined and changed to make home maintenance manageable.

I have known people who go through the whole decluttering process, only to refill their home and have to order another dumpster - repeatedly. Any positive changes must start with an examination of old habits.

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Check out our free Scavenger Hunt Challenge to have on hand when you ready to commit to your decluttering process.

Pros and cons of a minimalist lifestyle

Don't let the word minimalist scare you off. Minimalism can be whatever you want it to be. This concept does not have to mean living uncomfortably in an almost empty house without your favorite things.

The rooms in my home do not at all reflect how this house was used when I bought it many years ago. My home reflects who I am. As a neatnik, my home is always orderly. As a lifelong artist, at least half of my home is devoted to organized and clean studio space.

A great way to discover who and what your preferences are is to live in a space for a while while you are deciding how you want to fill it. In other words, don't just fill rooms the way you (or others!) think you are supposed to.

Streamlined daily life

Minimalist living and decluttering simplify daily life. The less we have the less we have to manage. This can be especially useful for those overwhelmed by their to-do lists.

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Questions to find answers to

Nothing gets in my home that is not functional or so beautiful and unique that I must have it. An easy way to control clutter for me is starting the process at the point of purchase.

Before I buy anything I ask myself:

• Do I need it?
• Where will it live when I am not using it?
• Is there something I can get rid of to avoid a build-up of clutter?
• Is this a well-made item or will it quickly end up in the already overcrowded landfill?

Two ways of looking at things

If you are having trouble discarding things try this...Go around and tag either visually or with stickers the things you love and will never part with.

Then start going through the remaining items one item at a time and decide if it is time to discard this thing. If it still has life left in it sell it or donate the object.

By doing this you have removed the fear of tossing anything you love because you have already decided to keep it.

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Maintenance of a clutter-free space

Maintaining a clutter-free space can be an ongoing challenge especially if you are new to this concept. Living clutter-free requires a particular mindset.

I have found it is common for people to neglect considering how they plan to maintain a new clutter-free space. The example I gave about a friend hiring dumpster services multiple times is true.

To live without clutter a maintenance plan is essential to have in place. This will likely involve, as I said earlier, a good look at your habits and how you got to the point of needing a dumpster to haul a lot of stuff away.

The benefits of decluttering your life are many. For me, I need to keep my home clean and organized. It is well worth the few minutes a day I spend maintaining my home to reap the benefits.

It's essential to approach decluttering with a balance between letting go of unnecessary items and keeping the things you love. This balance allows you to enjoy the positive impact of decluttering while still feeling connected to the areas of your life that truly matter.

Whether you choose to embrace minimalism or simply declutter moderately, the key is to strike a balance that suits your unique circumstances and goals.

Marj Bates is a life long ridiculously organized declutter-er and artist. Less is more are words Marj lives by in everything she does except collecting dogs. "Dogs are like potato chips! Can’t have just one.” says Marj. Marj wonders if growing up with a fanatically clean Jewish mom means her decluttering and organizational skills are in her blood.

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