Clutter: The elephant in the room, your office, your kitchen, and your mind. How do you get rid of something that’s both everywhere and nowhere? A quick how-to on the process of decluttering.
If you’re like most people, it often feels like there’s just not enough time in the day, room in the schedule, or physical willpower to completely declutter. The result? It totally stresses us out.
What does it mean to declutter your space and mind? How are they even related?
The Clutter Trap
A survey by the Huffington Post confirms that clutter is one of the five most common stressors among Americans. To clarify, this survey found that 47% of people get stressed out by mess in their home. What’s the correlation here? Clutter can elevate your cortisol levels, which in turn creates stress.
Everyone knows how damaging stress can be to your body and mind. Stress-by-clutter, however, is a completely different can of worms. The physical effects of clutter can take the form of weight gain or worsened allergy and asthma symptoms.
Unfortunately, clutter can be just as detrimental to your mental health. A recent study demonstrated the connection between procrastination and clutter. To all the procrastinators out there, fair warning: not only does procrastination exacerbate clutter, but can result in a general sense of displeasure in everyday life among older people.
Long story short: more clutter means more stress. So what can we do about it?
Don’t Need It, Declutter It: 3 Tips to Cut the Clutter
Don’t you hate it when you just can’t let go? Here are three tips to get the ball rolling on all things decluttering.
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Acceptance
They say that acceptance is serenity, so recognizing that you have a problem with clutter is definitely the first step to take. According to the NEAT Method creators, certain people have particular clutter personalities, which is relative to the root cause of your clutter. Unpacking the kind of clutter-er you are, will help you take initiative and unpack the center console of your car.
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Practice Makes Perfect
Developing a solid clutter control regime will get you in the habit of decluttering on a more regular basis. Whether you develop an extensive day-to-day plan, or integrate methods like F.A.S.T. into your daily routine, it’s important to stick to whatever you decide to do. In doing so, decluttering will become second nature.
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Make it FUN!
What’s the point of decluttering if you can’t have any fun? Minimalist guru Melissa Russell (@simplelionheartlife) recommends games like 40 Bags in 40 Days and the 12-12-12 Challenge to both maximize the fun and minimize the clutter. The more fun you’re having, the more likely you are to make decluttering a good habit.
You’re human. Whether you leave the mail on the table, or throw your gum wrapper in your cup holder, messes will happen. Just remember, less is more. So let’s cut the clutter!
