5 Reasons To Declutter NOW

Why do you need reasons to declutter NOW? We’ve become pros at putting off decluttering – “I’m not going to declutter now, I’ll do it later.” At any given moment, there are a handful of very valid reasons why now isn’t the right time.

Lucy has a recital coming up and needs all of these costume pieces so we might as well wait. I’m in the middle of a big work project and can’t stop to look up. I’m feeling really low energy this week and should wait until I’m more rested and can put energy and effort into the project.

We default to this without much resistance because, let’s be honest, decluttering just doesn’t seem that important.

It’s easy to fall into the thought process that certain areas of our lives don’t affect other areas. We go about our days, often playing out a string of subconscious habits without stopping to think if there’s a better way. Or we’ve become so accustomed to the norm that we think there’s no point in trying to change it.

Imagine someone who’s worn the same shoe style their entire life. Over time they’ve developed back pain, then hip pain. Now, they have trouble tilting their neck. The pain makes it hard to sleep and the lack of sleep puts them in a bad mood.

All they’d need to do to start living more enjoyably is get a better pair of shoes but these are their shoes. They’ve always worn them and possibly don’t even realize that the shoes are the culprit.

Now apply this to the environment you live in every day. 

The clutter in your home is not a benign part of your life. It’s something you interact with every day, multiple times a day. Habits people have in regards to their clutter may have been learned from parents, and partners; maybe you created them to cope or adjust. 

No matter the case, the snowball effect will begin to take place before you know it, and then it can feel daunting to turn back.

If you were looking for a sign to start making changes for the better, look no further! Here are the 5 reasons to declutter now instead of putting it off.  

#1. Your Mental Health Will Thank You

Clutter = Stress & increased cortisol 

There is a direct correlation between the clutter in your life and the stress you experience. Many studies support this statement including a UCLA study following 32 American families that recognized mothers’ cortisol (a stress hormone) would spike while dealing with their belongings. 

To add to this, Dr. Rick Hanson released a study addressing the effects of prolonged periods of stress on the brain. He concluded that the structure of our brains can physically change making us more susceptible to stress later on. 

Our mental health is the biggest reason that people tend to declutter now rather than waiting for additional overwhelm and stress.

Depression and anxiety

It makes sense that the increased cortisol and stress response would have an impact on anxiety, especially in those who are already suffering from anxiety and panic disorders. 

However, multiple studies have also found a positive correlation between clutter and depression. Cluttered homes lead to isolation, stress, low self-worth, insomnia, and often depressive episodes. 

Another thing to consider is that the types of clutter we surround ourselves with may directly incite anxiety or depression. Think of belongings that perpetuate sadness, anger, or self-defeat. This could be from a failed relationship to a personal loss.

Distraction can be debilitating 

Something maybe not so shocking to you is that people (in general) are more distracted than ever before (have you checked your phone since you started reading this? 🙃). 

What you probably are not aware of is your clutter doing a very similar thing. In a Princeton study, scientific evidence was found that clutter or “multiple stimuli present in a visual field at the same time” competes for your brain’s resources, limits processing power, and prevents focus. 

We live in a day and age where there are sights, sounds, textures, and even smells competing for our attention. Creating a home environment that doesn’t add to the madness and multitasking is important to enjoy your space and be productive in the things you care about.

This Reason To Declutter can relieve stress! 

The flip side to this is the act of decluttering your space can actually provide stress RELIEF that’s healthy and therapeutic. 

As I just mentioned, our clutter is competing for our attention whether you notice it or not. Moving toward minimalism helps to eliminate anything that isn’t a priority or even necessary. Once that clutter is gone you are left with the things you value without other distractions. 

There is also a wonderful cathartic effect that occurs when decluttering. Those items that carry weight and stress in your life can cause tension which decluttering removes.

#2. Clutter: A Relationship’s Physical And Mental Stumbling Block

If you feel like your home environment is cluttered you’ve likely noticed it affecting one or more of your relationships.

Maybe you don’t want to invite a friend or date over because you’re embarrassed. Feelings of shame or inadequacy may pop up because it’s become so ingrained in us that a “clean” or “tidy” home is evidence of “having it all together”, even more so for women. Social isolation is a reality for so many who struggle with clutter.  

A couple’s enemy is clutter.

It could even be that you’re in a relationship where each partner has value connected to different items cluttering the home further. Psychologist, Patricia Riddell, connects this difference in values to an increase in repeat arguments, anger, and fatigue.

The tension caused by financial issues in a relationship can also be bridged to clutter. It’s an endless cycle of wanting more needing more space to store those items,  then losing them in the clutter and repurchasing.

Sadly, according to a study done by the National Library of Medicine, “too much conflict or arguing” along with “how one’s spouse handled money” are two of the top reasons for divorce.

Perhaps you were a kid (or have kids) experiencing clutter causing the home to feel hostile or out of control.  The National Institute of Mental Health found:

❝children of hoarding family members who lived in moderate or greater clutter before age 10 reported significantly more distress than did those who lived in less clutter prior to age 10: they rated their childhoods as less happy, reported more difficulty making friends, had people over less often, argued with parents more, described their relationship with their parents as more strained, and were more embarrassed about the condition of the home.❞

David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee, and Kristin E. Fitcha

Clutters’ effects on children go deep into their behaviors, social skills, academics, and ability to problem-solve. There are so many reasons to declutter now for our social, familial, and romantic relationships alone that you can find in this article.

#3. Physical Health. Germs. Bacteria. Dust. Respiratory Problems.

It’s no secret that when you have a lot of stuff, upkeep becomes more difficult. The more difficult cleaning becomes the more likely you are to forget, avoid, or miss cleaning an area. 

So it should also be no surprise that under all the clutter lies hidden germs, bacteria, and dust. Consider the likely hood of cross-contamination in the kitchen after handling raw meat or the bathroom that could be collecting salmonella, E. coli, and very likely mold and algae from the moisture in the air.

Plus, the dust and dust mites accumulated in hard-to-reach, forgotten, and high fabric areas may be the cause of several respiratory problems including allergies and sinus issues. Shouldn’t that be enough of a reason to declutter?

This, of course, is in addition to the stress, potential depression, and lack of energy that clutter can cause. I mentioned those earlier, but here are some other sneaky ways clutter impacts your wellness. 

#4.Clutter-Free Living Aids In Meeting Financial Goals & Saving Money

A common excuse I hear for not being able to go clutter-free is that it would either be expensive or wasteful but the opposite is true!

The first step of decluttering may make you money. Many people have made hundreds or even thousands in a month from selling unused things! I’m a frequent participant on OfferUp and have sold thousands of dollars worth of items by this point. 

Living a more minimalist life is also great for your personal finances because you’re simply not buying as much stuff. The next step is just learning to buy quality over quantity 🙂. 

Buying fewer but higher quality items, even if they’re more expensive, will last much longer and bring you more joy than buying multiple cheap items that will be tucked away, adding to the clutter. A $5 nick-nack here and there feels harmless until those receipts start to add up.

#5. The BIG Picture: A Higher Quality Of Life

Our lives are made up of minutes. A great indicator of the quality of any person’s life can be boiled down to how they spend their minutes. Are your minutes spent playing keep up around the house? That’s the case for most people. In fact, an American Time Use study found that we spend, on average, 2-4 hours PER DAY tending to our environments.

Now think about how immediately our environments impact our energy and mood. My favorite example of this immediate reaction is walking into a spa. Every part of the setup is meant to make you relaxed and calm. From the music to the color of the walls they are thinking of a full experience.

Consider the stress, tension, and other psychological and physical responses we have to clutter. When these symptoms caused by your environment start taking hold, behaviors and moods also change leading to frustration, guilt, and exhaustion. Do you need any more reasons to declutter now than that?

The place you sleep, eat, work, commune with others, and LIVE should be an oasis, retreat, or haven from the chaos of the world. How often do people instead use their homes as a place to store? This space we are talking about has an emotional, mental, physical, relational, and financial impact on your life.

Starting now to declutter and create a better quality of life for yourself and your family doesn’t have to be hard and trust me it’s so worth it!