As a home organizing professional, with nearly 15 years’ experience, I’ve been trained not only to (a) define the causes of home clutter, and then (b) clear the clutter, but also to (c) define the drawbacks of home clutter. Today I am writing to help you better understand the drawbacks of clutter and the benefits of clutter removal.
When your home is cluttered and messy the physical effort needed to power up your brain must be increased. Training offered me by The National Association of Professional Organizers points to research evidencing that people living in a cluttered home experience increased exhaustion as a result of expanding mental energy on their messy environment. In addition, it was harder for these people to focus and process information, so they had to expend more energy to do everyday tasks. Finally, clutter had a negative influence on decision-making skills and is known to foster an unhealthy environment for relationship growth.
The Psychological Benefits of an Orderly Home
- Order Decreases Stress
Perhaps the largest advantage to living organized is the ability to decrease stress. A messy room is way too much information for the eye and brain to process at once. Disorder overworks the brain causing an underlying anxiousness. Even if you don’t notice this stressor on a daily basis the low-grade presence of clutter depletes your energy and the energy of others. Imagine this scenario: rather than digging through the junk drawer to find your car key, you know exactly where it is within that junk drawer every time you need to use it. That’s a whole lot of stress suddenly cut from your morning routine. Implement home organizing systems like a drawer organizer to decrease stress.
- Order Improves Family Relationships
A well-organized home can have many positive effects on your family life. According to a Boston marketing firm analysis and reported in Newsweek magazine, the average American spends 55 minutes per day looking for things they know they own but cannot find. Gaining nearly an hour a day can lead to more quality time with your family. If you don’t have to spend every morning digging through your son’s room to find his backpack and digital notebook, you might gain time to sit together and have breakfast.
- An Orderly Home Influences your Children’s Future Lives An organized home influences your growing children, helping them to build habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. A child who doesn’t have regular chores is likely to be an adult who isn’t capable of doing the daily tasks needed to maintain their own home spaces in the future. If your children are encouraged by your example to keep an excess of items, they are likely to not clear the clutter in their adult lives because cluttered spaces are normal for them. One of the 3 top reasons my clients call me for help is because they want their home to influence the future homes their children will create. If there’s a better reason to get your home in order than that, I sure can’t think of it.
What Can Be Done to Improve the Peace and Calm in Your Home?
- Simplify wardrobe choices by donating any outgrown and least liked clothing for both you and your children. I have found that my clients use often and truly love about 60% of their stuff, including their clothes. Try to donate 30% of the clothes you own to those who could really benefit from your generosity. The bonus? The great feeling you get by helping those in need!
- Remove or hibernate about 50% of the toy clutter. Downsize the toys in play by donating non-favorites and then box up for hibernation ½ of the remaining toys. Every six months, I suggest March and September, switch the hibernated toys in for new play and the playroom gathered toys out. It’s like your child celebrates anew with his/her toy favorites twice a year.
- Create a “keepsakes box” for storing school work that comes home with your child regularly. Keep only the pieces that illustrate your child’s best work AND the work that best exemplifies her/his top interests each year. I recommend you limit the number of pieces saved per year to less than 25 with a total of around 300 for their 13 years in school. That is plenty of brag worthy keepsakes!
Emotional health allows us to work productively and better cope with the stresses of everyday life. When clutter is reduced it’s likely your family’s emotional health will improve. I feel hopeful when reading that statement. How about you?
A leader in her industry, Vicki Winterton is a home organizing professional. For 14 years, Vicki has helped nearly 600 clients whose homes were filled with chaos, restore order & peace to their spaces and to their lives. Through experience, (https://www.organize-utah.com/organizing-store/) she’s learned that disorganization costs her clients BOTH their time and their money…two very important commodities in today’s world! Contact Vicki today to see if virtual organizing sessions (https://www.organize-utah.com/virtual-home-organizing-help/) can bring greater peace to you, your home and your family!
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