The benefits of decluttering go well beyond just a clean home. It’s not even the act of giving up stuff that benefits you. It’s the act of clearing out all the excess that makes you wish life were simpler, easier.
If you are feeling like your home is full to the brim with unnecessary items that take up your time and energy, decluttering can be the start to a simpler life… one not filled with so much excess stuff.
Here are a few powerful benefits to decluttering your home:
1 – Declutter to clean less
When you have less stuff in your home, your home is a bazillion times easier to clean. It gets stupid easy.
Your kids could be left alone for hours to their own devices, and you would still be able to pick up fairly quickly. That’s the true power of having less stuff.
No more moving piles around.
No making paths.
No hiding things in your bedroom just minutes before an unexpected friend swings by.
No more feeling embarrassed because every surface in your home is covered up in stuff.
When you declutter your home, you can quickly wipe down a counter or dust a furniture top. Seriously, it gets easy-peasy.
2 – Declutter to have more focused time
Another benefit to decluttering your home is it gives you more focused time.
You gain time with your kids and your family. One reason is that you have less to clean (see #1).
You also spend less time trying to accumulate more clutter. You aren’t shopping on the internet for the next best deal or walking through Target with a Starbucks in hand hoping to find something you can’t live without.
Instead of finding ways to bring more clutter into your home or trying to figure out how to navigate around your existing clutter, you are doing things you enjoy.
Maybe you love crafting, but your craft room has been turned upside down and inside out.
Or maybe you can’t remember the last time you sat down and played a card game because you can’t get to the table.
When you declutter your home, you have time to focus on the things you love.
3 – Declutter to save money
When you declutter your home, you save money, and you save a lot of it.
When you learn to stop buying for fun or the next “good deal”, the money saved starts to add up.
In the first year I stopped shopping for fun, I saved so much money that I eventually quit my job! Living with less taught me so many lessons. Even better though, it fattened my bank account!
Related Post: 11 Lessons Learned From a Year of Not Buying Any New Clothes
4 – Declutter to make your home feel bigger
Finally, when you declutter, your home starts to feel bigger. When there’s space in your home, it no longer feels cramped.
You can get rid of an excess chair, and you will gain an entire section back from your space.
If you clear out your closet, your tiny walk-in closet that was never big enough may soon feel like a huge blessing.
When we decluttered our house the first time, we had a half-basement that was nothing more than a storage unit. After decluttering, we turned that space into a guest room, office, and playroom combo. It was amazing!
Related Post: How Much is Your Storage Space Costing You?
5 – Declutter to improve your relationships
When your home is clean and calm, you tend to have better relationships with those around you. Decluttering your space can help reduce any conflict among family members over messes and maintenance of the home.
I don’t know about you, but it’s way easier to relax when the house is clean than when there are a million things I feel like I should be doing.
6 – Declutter to reduce your stress and anxiety
A cluttered home and stress/anxiety often present themselves like the chicken and the egg. I’m not sure which one caused the other, but they go hand in hand.
When there is clutter all over your workspace, whether that be your desk, your kitchen counters, or somewhere else, it makes it very difficult to feel productive and calm.
Related Post: Declutter to Drastically Reduce Your Stress and Anxiety
7 – Declutter to feel more confident
Decluttering your home is also beneficial in that it can make you feel more confident.
You don’t have to be embarrassed for family or friends to come over.
Because keeping your home tidy is easier when you have less clutter (see #1 again), you start to feel like you are kicking butt in your home every day. This sense of achievement can increase your confidence significantly.
8 – Declutter so you have fewer decisions to make
Have you ever been camping or on vacation and had to “make-do” with something? It’s because you are often in a clutter-free space, without all the possible solutions to all your possible problems.
I’ve felt very MacGyver on a camping trip when I’ve come up with solutions for things simply because I had no other choice.
The same happens when you have less stuff. You remove the decision fatigue.
If you only have your favorite shirts to choose from when getting dressed, you don’t have to spend any extra minutes trying to pick out the best option. Decluttering allows you to have only your favorite options.
9 – Declutter for greater happiness
Decluttering can give you a greater sense of happiness. No, it’s not a magic action you can take to make you super happy. However, it can help you get rid of all the excess so that you can focus more on what really matters in your life.
Clutter isn’t just stuff. It’s obligations. It’s busy schedules. It’s all the things that make your life bigger but not better.
Decluttering Benefits Your Soul
Decluttering has huge benefits for making not just your home and life feel better but to make you feel better, deep in your soul.
You start to focus your time, efforts, and money on things and activities that fuel who you are and what you value as the most important.
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