5 Benefits of Decluttering Your Life

Living with too much clutter can cause a host of unwanted problems. From small issues like the inability to find items you need, wasted time on laundry, cleaning too many clothes, and bigger issues like anxiety and even health problems, too much clutter raises unhealthy cortisol levels. Deciding to declutter your home and life has so many benefits you’ll be able to take advantage of as you begin downsizing your possessions. Whether or not you want to embrace full-blown minimalism or just get more organized, keep reading for inspiration as to why a big declutter could benefit your life tremendously.

Reduce Decision Fatigue

One of the best things about decluttering your home is the reduction in decision fatigue – especially regarding what you wear daily. The average American home has over 300,000 items, which sounds like a massive number because it is! A huge part of our possessions is in our bedroom dressers and closets in the form of clothing items that don’t flatter us, no longer fit or show signs of wear and tear. Did you know that most people only wear about eighty percent of their clothing? By paring down to your favorite, easy fashion options, you’re left with a lot less to choose from. Stop wasting time figuring out what to wear every morning by decluttering your clothing.

Financial Freedom

A massive benefit of decluttering your home is the money you can make selling your unwanted items. Do you really need four different ways to make your morning coffee? How many of your televisions do you use regularly? Even clothing, knick-knacks, and other home decor are easy to sell on Instagram, eBay, and other social media platforms. Once you declutter the things you don’t regularly use, if you keep the mindset that you don’t want the clutter coming back, you’re less likely to impulse shop, which means more money saved in the bank. Almost sixty percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck in 2022. While you may be a master budgeter, you can kill two birds with one stone by reducing clutter at home and increasing money in your bank account by cutting down on superfluous and impulse purchases.

More Time

One of the most impactful and meaningful benefits of decluttering your home and life is the time you regain that you once spent cleaning up toys, putting away laundry, and maintaining other items. We’re all familiar with the adages “life is short” or “time is money,” but perhaps the most impactful one was said by Benjamin Franklin: “lost time is never found again.”

Take your precious time to spend with family, work for the promotion you’ve been gunning for or get an extra vacation this year. Another benefit of time is relaxation. Stress is a major factor in not only our mental health but physical well-being. Use your free time to care for yourself by slowing down and living in the present.

Health Gains

You may not want to think about this, but what’s lurking behind that extra furniture or baskets of toys, clothing, and other items you don’t use? Dust, possible mold, and other allergens can negatively impact your physical health. Not to mention – when you’re spending all your time and energy keeping your living space “picked up,” how often are you able to truly deep clean it? Lower your risk of allergies and asthma by giving your home a good decluttering; your health will thank you for it!

Better Relationships

Do you find that you and your partner argue over regular household chores? Maybe you have so many possessions you argue over the piles of stuff in your home. Perhaps you’re always fussing at your child for not cleaning up their toys. No matter how you slice it, you’ll see benefits in your relationships if you declutter your unwanted and unused items. When it comes to getting kids on board with parting with toys, remind them that other children will breathe new life into the toys they’ve no longer been playing with.

As well as the ways mentioned above that decluttering can benefit you, you may also gain higher self-esteem after the process. Especially if you work from home, like so many of us do, you’ll enjoy a higher level of focus after your decluttering too. Let the benefits above motivate you to minimize what doesn’t serve you and get more organized. You got this!