Even the most organised people in the world have at least some clutter in their homes.
Perhaps, it is because of our inherent hunter-gatherer nature or simply because of associating sentimental value with relatively meaningless things. Whatever the reason may be, the presence of clutter in homes is not uncommon.
A survey conducted in 2015 found that at least a third of the respondents were overwhelmed by the clutter they have collected over the years. This is not all, clutter has also been identified as a source of stress and anxiety in humans. This happens for multiple reasons ranging from overwhelming amounts of stimuli for our senses to feelings of guilt and embarrassment.
The benefits of getting rid of clutter aren’t just limited to being free from stress and anxiety. Here are a few others:
Extra Money
A lot of clutter that we collect is made up of stuff that still holds some value. No, not sentimental value, but monetary value.
For instance, many people have that one drawer in their home that is filled with old phones and tablets that were once kept there for emergencies but are now simply collecting dust. If you have such a drawer at your home, it is worth checking if any of those electronics are still working.
Who knows, maybe you’ll make a few extra bucks when you sell your tablets that you had forgotten about!
Even if you have phones and tablets that don’t work, you can make a little money by effortlessly selling them to an online electronics buyback service. Not to forget, by doing so, you will also be ensuring responsible disposal of these devices that would otherwise take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill.
More Productivity
Lisa Zaslow, a professional organiser, revealed in a CNN interview that “surveys show the average person loses an hour a day to disorganization”.
With less clutter, there will be less disorganisation and less disorganisation will lead to more productivity.
This isn’t the only way getting rid of clutter will make you more productive. Finding things in a pile of clutter is usually a painstaking and time consuming task.
By keeping only the things that you absolutely need, you will effectively cut down on the time and energy you spend in looking for them in a pile of clutter and can utilise that time in a productive manner.
Fewer Expenses
Our habit of collecting clutter has given birth to a brand new industry of professional organisers. The services of such professionals are not cheap by any measure and are an added (and unnecessary) expense for those with too much clutter.
Those that collect too much clutter even rent out storage units outside their homes to store their clutter. While it may not seem like much of an expense, the rent of a storage unit adds up. This is perhaps the reason why the annual revenue of the storage unit industry in the US is over $38 billion!
Besides saving on these expenses, you will also be saving money by avoiding ruining your living space with unnecessary purchases after you have decluttered.
More Space
Finally, those that have rented a self storage unit may realise they don’t need it after they have decluttered.
Those readers that don’t have a storage unit may be able to free up some extra space within their homes.
Conclusion
Getting rid of clutter is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress in your life and give way to positivity. How do you get rid of your clutter? Share your ideas in the comment section below.
