With the topic of minimalism and decluttering at an all time high (thanks Marie Kondo!), many of us ‘messy people’ are at odds with ourselves. Do we jump on the bandwagon and see what all the fuss is about? Or do we wait for this ‘less is more’
trend to pass… after all, we bought all this junk for a reason, right? Well, as a recovering hoarder and messy person (okay fine, I’m still messy), I can say with confidence that choosing to declutter has its benefits. So if you choose to take the red pill and venture into the mysterious world of decluttering and minimalism, then here are 3 positive reasons to start decluttering your home today.
1. It’s easier to find things
When you have less stuff in your home, you have less visual distractions. And I’m not just talking about all the stuff scattered on your kitchen counter, I’m talking about the mental cataloging that we all do in our subconscious. Every time we enter or leave a room, our brains are taking inventory, whether or not we realize it. So when we go to find something, (like our keys), not only are we visually scanning the clutter, but our brains are also mentally scanning a map of our entire house trying to locate the keys. The less “data” our brains have to scan, the quicker we can recall where something is.
2. Cleaning takes less time
Now this is also dependent on whether or not you have children, but you’ll quickly find that the less knick-knacks you keep around, the quicker it is to dust or put items away. Not to mention, if you declutter your closet (and can actually see to the bottom of your sock drawer), you’re much more likely to just put your clothes away, vs the time-consuming refolding that inevitably takes place otherwise!
3. You’ll accomplish more each day
Let me first say, there’s no magic happening here. You won’t accomplish more because the Decluttering Fairy farted her “focus dust” on you. (Now there’s a pretty picture, right?) No, you’ll accomplish more because you’re less likely to get distracted by your surroundings. Whether you declutter your bedroom at home or the desk at your workplace, you’ll find that less clutter = less distractions = less interruptions from the task at hand. And when you can stay focused on an individual task to its completion, rather than starting and stopping, you’ll tick through your to-do list in no time!
Hopefully these 3 reasons are enough to give you a friendly nudge in the right direction toward decluttering and tidying bliss. Because let’s face it, there’s no better time to start making positive changes in your life than today.