The BIG 3 Powerful Reasons To Declutter

There are tons of reasons why living clutter-free is beneficial- more space, time, energy, and all that good stuff. I have a whole other article and video about the overall Advantages of Being Clutter-Free. But I really want to hone in on the really big guys- the three most powerful reasons to declutter as quickly as possible.

So if you tuned in thinking, “Oh, this is great. I’ll get a couple of really quick decluttering tips or get inspired to clean my kitchen.” Well, maybe you will. But you’re not going to get off that easy! You’re gonna walk away with some meaty information about how losing the clutter could be the foundation for total transformation.

#1. Support

The first important reason to declutter is ‘Support’. This has always been number one for me. As you may have heard me say, I do have a history of things like depression, anxiety, hormonal imbalances, anemia…basically a bunch of things that make it impossible for me to always show up as my best self. You can read my article on Minimalism and Mental Health for a deeper dive into this. I will say that these have become incredibly mild in recent years but it used to be a big part of my life.

Support for low energy and down-time

Now, some of you may understand what that feels like to have fluctuations in energy that are so unpredictable. Sometimes you’re not really able to show up as the best version of yourself. The version that’s going to be able to stay on top of things and get stuff done.

For me, that meant there would be periods of downtime and less productivity. When I became a single mom, the girls and I moved states and there were many changes happening at once.

I knew immediately that my number one priority was to create some kind of a supportive system inside of our home. If for whatever reason, my energy disappeared for a while, I wanted to be able to take that time for myself without everything falling apart. I hated the pressure of having to be 100% “on” or everything would tumble down. That’s not a good feeling. Even if you’re somebody who always has your energy topped off. Everybody needs to be able to take that space for themselves at some point.

That’s pretty much what brought me to where I am today. It was all based on a lifetime of experience- knowing myself, knowing what I needed, and knowing that I needed a place that wasn’t going to break just because I needed a break.

Your home should be your greatest support system

Going clutter-free allows you to have that supportive space. It allows you to take that time for yourself. Now, you can go even further by really programming and creating that supportive environment. I recommend creating a space that gives you what you need for every activity and life function. You can totally create a SUPER-support space (learn more about creating this in my free masterclass, The Holistic Clutter-Free Formula).

If you’ve been around long then you know that my motto is that your home should be your Your greatest support system, it should support you in everything that you set out to do. And if you’re not using it like that, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. That’s why, to me, ‘Support’ is the most powerful of all the reasons to declutter.

#2. Freedom

Number two on the list of BIG reasons to declutter- is ‘Freedom’. This is what most people are searching for. Whenever they start looking at getting rid of clutter or decluttering areas, they’re really looking for freedom. They want more space, right? More time to be able to do things besides keeping up with the house.

Freedom comes in many forms

Maybe you want to have more energy to do something that’s not laundry or dishes related. Of course, freedom can look very different to a lot of people. Years ago, I would have defined freedom as being the feeling you get when you walk out the door of a job that you hate for the last time- knowing you’re never going to have to breathe the air of that place again.

Now, I would say that freedom for me is the feeling of having a really good cup of caramel coffee, and really being able to sit and look out the window enjoying my cup. With an unburdened mind. Without feeling oppressed by the stuff around me or by the thoughts of the many things I’m going to have to do that day that I don’t want to do.

Maybe freedom to you would be just having more space to breathe, being able to walk around your house without stepping or tripping on anything, not having to look for stuff every other hour because you can’t find it or you don’t remember where you put it and it’s buried beneath something else. That, in itself, is freeing, when you don’t have that anymore. When you know where stuff is and you know that everything’s taken care of.

Freedom from excess responsibility

Having fewer things to be responsible for can also be very freeing, and that’s true for kids too. Most kids only actually play with like 20% of their toys 80% of the time (the old 80/20 rule). If you get down to just the 20% that they really love and let go of all that excess, all of a sudden they’re able to be more responsible for their space. It also builds confidence in their ability to take care of their own space.

Freedom is probably the most obvious reason to declutter.

#3. Growth

Number three on the quick list of BIG powerful reasons to declutter is a little less obvious- and that is ‘Growth’. This one is a little trickier to understand. Probably one of the best examples that I have is with one of my students, Elle.

Elle was a software engineer who loved her job and was looking to go back for more certifications. Her big reason for getting the clutter out was to make room in her space and schedule to devote to her passion and growth in that area. She was married with a seven-year-old daughter and also wanted to be able to spend more time with them while working toward her business goals.

Elle knew that in order to be able to grow, especially in the direction she was wanting to grow, she was going to have to cut back somewhere else and she was able to identify that her clutter was going to be the most efficient place to start.

The power of pruning

When you prune a plant it allows the plant to actually grow stronger and to grow in the direction that you’re wanting it to grow, giving more life and nutrients to the branches that are actually bearing fruit. We need pruning too. Every one of us. It’s a matter of cutting the excess weight and devoting more energy and resources to growing in other areas.

How you grow depends on where you’re willing to invest the time that you make space for (or the space that you make space for). Sometimes, new ideas sprout that you hadn’t even thought of because you didn’t have the capacity until you made the space.

It could be that having extra space to move your body dominoes into a whole new health regimen leads to the healthiest years of your life. Or that you clear out an office to the bare bones and are tinkering around one day when you get inspiration for a book to write or a business to launch. There’s no telling what ideas can come when they have the space to form and grow.

The magic of keystone habits

An interesting thing to think about is something that the book, The Power of habits’, refers to as ‘keystone habits‘. People who have quit negative habits in one area have been able to use that single transformation to transform other areas of their lives. Studies found that when somebody makes a positive change in one area- for example, they quit smoking- that habit alters part of the brain structure and impacts other areas as well. It makes change easier and more desired.

So they found that people who have clutter-free spaces also tended to have better finances and health. So, aside from the positive benefits of getting the clutter out, having more space, and surrounding yourself with an inspiring and motivating environment, just the ACT of making that positive change in itself is a keystone habit that leads to other positive life changes.

These are the BIG 3 powerful reasons to declutter! I see these transformations in people all the time. This is the core and the heart of the changes that you’re really wanting. It’s not about having a prettier space or perfectionism and being pristine, it’s really about the deeper core that supports you, provides freedom, and enables you to grow. If you want even more reasons to declutter I have listed 5 reasons to declutter here.