9 Great Reasons Why You Should Make Decluttering a Priority in Your Life

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Decluttering can be a challenging and overwhelming process for many people. But taking the time and energy to let go of the stuff that’s no longer serving you and your family can be the first step towards a simpler and more fulfilling life. Decluttering allows us to reframe our perspective and feel renewed. There are ways to maintain a clutter-free, organized home that will promote your overall well-being once you decide to let go of the unnecessary, unwanted, unused, and unloved stuff that you have accumulated over time. But before that you need to make decluttering a top priority!

Here are some great reasons why you should make decluttering a top priority in your life:

1. Decluttering reduces your stress level and gives you peace of mind

The number one reason you need to make decluttering a priority is to reduce your stress and anxiety. A cluttered, messy home increases your stress level. Just as our mental state can make an impact on our home, our home environment can also impact our minds. A direct link between excessive home clutter and higher stress levels has been found in numerous studies in recent years.

In one study, women who lived in cluttered homes had high levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day, while those who lived in a well-organized, restful space had lower levels. As psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter explains in Psychology Today, “Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed.”

In a paper published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology in 2016, it says that an online survey was conducted with a population of U.S. and Canadian adults. Findings revealed that clutter can have a negative impact on our subjective well-being and happiness. Though we like to consider our home to be a safe and secure place, excessive clutter compromises some of that security, according to that survey.

When you declutter, your home has less stuff and less mess. You don’t always feel the pressure to clean the house. It’s easier to keep it neat and organized, and maintain. You don’t have stuff scattered all around screaming for your constant attention which also results in reduced stress and anxiety. You feel more relaxed and calm in your home.

2. Decluttering allows you to have more free time

Time is precious, and every single thing you own or possess takes some amount of your valuable time. Whether it’s cleaning, organizing, or maintaining your stuff, everything requires your time and effort. The reality is, the more clutter you have accumulated in your home, the more of your free time is going to be occupied by them.

But when you make decluttering a priority, you gain back control of your most valuable resource – time. By decluttering, you save many hours of your life that you would be otherwise spending on all the unnecessary stuff you neither love or use.

In a decluttered home, you will spend less time cleaning up, organizing, caring, and maintaining your space. You won’t waste your precious time trying to find things anymore. As a result, you will have more free time to spend with your loved ones, strengthen your relationships, and do the things that are important and meaningful to you!

3. Decluttering saves you money

When you declutter, you save money. The process of decluttering itself doesn’t cost you any money as organizing your extra stuff does. Rather, you can make some money if you try to sell some of your clutter that other people might find useful.

After getting rid of all the broken, duplicates, or unnecessary stuff, it’s easier for you to organize your home. Everything has a place where it belongs. You don’t have to spend money buying duplicate items that you already have in your home because now it’s easier to find things when you need them. Also, because of owning less stuff now, you won’t have to spend money on storage anymore.

Once you have decluttered your home, you will be more intentional about your new purchases and what you bring into home. You won’t spend your hard-earned money on random things that you truly don’t need or value. You will buy less and spend less. That means more money in your bank to spend on meaningful pursuits that you love and enjoy.

4. Decluttering frees up your valuable living space

When your home is overflowing with clutter, it naturally feels smaller and cramped – because in a cluttered home, unnecessary, extra stuff takes up most of your living space. By getting rid of all the things in your home that you neither love nor use, you’re going to gain more space!

As you accumulate less stuff and choose to live with only those things that you love and use frequently, you free up more space for yourself and your family to make room for the things you all value, love, and enjoy. Some examples are: an exercise room, a comfortable reading nook, kids’ play room, or arts and crafts room.

5. Decluttering helps you focus on what matters most

When you make decluttering a priority, it helps you focus on the people or things that are truly important and meaningful. Decluttering helps you pay more attention to the things that are important to you. When your home is not cluttered anymore, you aren’t distracted by the stuff that were competing for your attention all the time. You aren’t busy cleaning and organizing your home during weekends. You don’t feel tired and overwhelmed from constant cleaning. It’s now easier for you to focus on the things that really matter.

Also, organizing and separating the useful things from the stuff that you no longer need can help you find clarity on more significant issues you might be dealing with.

When you reduce or remove excess stuff from your home, and choose a simple lifestyle over a cluttered, complicated one, you will unearth more time in your day. As you feel less stressed and more relaxed, you will enjoy spending more quality time with your family, practicing self-care, or doing meaningful things that you love.

6. Your home is easier to clean, organize, and maintain

A wonderful benefit of having a decluttered home is that it’s easier to clean and maintain. According to the National Cleaning Institute, clutter can add up to 40 percent of the total amount of household work you have to handle.

Once you have surpassed your clutter threshold and own way more stuff than what you need and use, no amount of organizing will change the fact that you’re drowning in too much stuff. Only getting rid of some of that stuff will. Because when your home is overflowing with clutter, you can’t have a designated place for every single thing you possess. There simply isn’t any room for those extra items. Once you have decluttered, you won’t have to clean as much as you used to as you have less stuff now, and everything has a home of its own.

Everything from dusting to vacuuming to doing laundry — it’s all easier to do when there is less stuff to deal with. Also, when you choose to own less, you put quality over quantity. Good quality stuff usually last long and need less maintenance.

7. You enjoy your home more

You’re truly able to enjoy your home only when you feel cozy, safe, and relaxed in there. If you’re living in a cluttered, messy home, it’s really hard to sit down, unwind, and relax in peace. Personally, I find it nearly impossible to relax and rest in such a place. All the excess stuff around you screams for your attention and makes you experience some sort of stress and overwhelm. It’s like a constant visual reminder of things that need to be taken care of!

But when you take time to declutter, you remove the excess stuff and the elements of stress. Decluttering makes your home more enjoyable by taking away the distractions. A clean, uncluttered environment allows you to love your home and enjoy spending time there.

By making decluttering a priority and reducing the stuff you own, you’re able to create a calm, peaceful home where you can relax and unwind after a long, tiring day without having to worry about cleaning or organizing stuff. That definitely contributes to your mental health, and your overall happiness.

8. It boosts up your creativity and productivity

Clutter hinders our creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow us to think clearly and solve problems. Physical clutter in your surroundings (home or office) almost always competes for your attention, resulting in increased stress and anxiety and poor performance. When you thoroughly declutter your home, you won’t deal with such distractions anymore.

Since you will be able to organize your stuff easily and find your things right away when you need, you will also become more productive. If you have fewer items, it’s always easier for you to locate where they are. You will never waste time looking for lost items you need. Also, by removing clutter from your desk, you will be less distracted and more able to focus on the task at hand and get more productive and efficient.

Our material possessions consume our precious time and energy more than we realize. When you declutter and choose to own less stuff, you will have fewer distractions and more time and energy to develop a new hobby, learn a new skill, or do something creative.

9. Decluttering is a form of self-care

Decluttering is more than just getting rid of unwanted, unnecessary, and unloved stuff from your home. It’s a form of self-care because it helps you take control of your stuff, your home, and your life to improve your overall well-being. Just like eating healthy food, going for an evening walk, following careful skincare routine, brushing and flossing your teeth, or taking a peaceful nap, decluttering is also an act of self-love (Remember self-care is anything that promotes your health, well-being, and happiness).

By making decluttering a priority, you show yourself that your needs are valid. You deserve to feel calm and peace in your surroundings. You deserve a space where you can thrive and take refuge in.

Parting words

You see, decluttering is more than just getting rid of stuff that we no longer need, use, or love. It’s about letting go of the past, being mindful of the present, and paving way for the future. Decluttering your home not only makes your physical space feel less chaotic and more peaceful, but also helps you clear your mental space by reducing your stress while gaining more clarity. There is less stuff to take care of, less running around trying to find things, and more time to spend on what’s really important to you.

Eliminating the excess clutter from your home is what allows you to invest your time and energy in pursuing meaningful things that serve your purpose. When you make decluttering a priority, it’s your first step towards simplifying your life that you dream of.