Maybe you are asking "Why should I declutter?". Decluttering can be a daunting task and many people ask if it's worth it. I can assure you that the benefits of decluttering are significant. But before I get into that, I want to mention the problem that our society has with stuff.
The Problem of too much stuff
Our society has a problem with stuff. It is that we buy and keep too much of it. After working long hours, many people then turn their hard-earned money into clutter. Also, many people have large garages but park their expensive cars on the street. They do it so that they can make space in their garages for useless stuff.
But the negative effects of clutter are more than physical and financial:
A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology concluded that "Possession clutter has a strong negative impact on psychological home and perceived well being.".
Decluttering Basics
To understand the benefits of decluttering, it's important to understand the decluttering process. There are two major steps to decluttering. The first and most important step is to stop buying unnecessary stuff. This step stops the inflow of useless clutter to your home. The second step is to get rid of useless stuff. There are many ways to do this but the results are the same.
When you declutter, you will notice some of the benefits within weeks. Other benefits will take longer to present themselves.
You will have more living space.
Clutter steals living space from your home. So when you remove useless stuff, you should take a good look at its size. Its size is the amount of living space that you are adding back to your home. The result is that you will have more room in your rooms. This is true whether you live in a studio or in a mansion.
Your living space will be easier to keep tidy.
It is much easier to keep a space tidy if there is less stuff to put away. The reason why minimalists live in such tidy homes is not that we spend more time tidying up. It is because our homes are much easier to keep tidy.
Your living space will look and function better.
To understand this, we need to understand space and clutter. Each room has a finite amount of space. Some of that space is necessary for important items in the room. The people in the room will also need space to move around and to use the necessary items. Clutter buildup can overwhelm this space. If that happens, the room will be unable to look or function well and reorganization will not work. You will need to get rid of stuff whether you sell it, donate it, or bury it in the backyard. When you remove the clutter, you will notice that the room looks and functions much better.
Something here needs to be thrown out.
You will have more money.
The first step in decluttering is to stop buying useless stuff. This will save a lot of money. Also, stuff can cost money to maintain. Getting rid of it will get rid of the expenses too. Plus if you get rid of paid storage, then that's a bonus. It all adds up.
You will have more time left over.
You will spend less time shopping. You will also spend less time maintaining and cleaning around stuff. Plus, you will spend less time looking for things that you misplaced among all that stuff. The result is that you have more time left over. This is significant because time is one resource that you can't get back once it's gone. It's also the resource where you don't know how much you have left.
You will have less stress.
After you declutter, you will have more money and more time to spend on what you want. Your home will turn into a place of beauty and tranquility. You will love your abode instead of having to escape from it. All this adds up to less stress.
You will be more satisfied with what you have.
Your life that is free of clutter will bring two life-changing revelations:
1. You have all the material possessions that you need to be healthy and happy.
2. Actually, you had too many.
If you need to replace something necessary, replace it. After that, you will again have all the possessions that you need to be happy.
This realization will cause you to become satisfied with what you have. Most people will never understand this level of satisfaction. But you might try to help them anyway. You will understand that happiness and fulfillment don't come from the latest gadgets. Few if any new merchandise will tempt you. You will realize that most of them are more of a hassle than they are worth.
Just to cleanse our eyes after seeing that previous image
You will realize that decluttering can apply to life in general.
After you declutter, you will realize that it applies to other areas in life. You will realize that the most important things are not material possessions. You will likely experience the following:
You will become less enamored with social media.
Social media is good for connecting with long-lost friends. It is also good for people who need it to market their businesses. But some people use it to distract themselves from their lives. Others use it to show off how happy they are. Many in this latter group are pretending. Happy people are not concerned about the appearance of being happy. You will see this online voyeurism and exhibitionism as the time clutter which it is.
You will be less impressed by status symbols.
When you become satisfied with what you have, status symbols lose their meaning. You will see that the need to "keep up with the Joneses" is mental clutter that leads to physical clutter. If you see someone in a flashy car, you will not feel any admiration, envy, or even pity. It will be just another car to you.
You will become more focused on your life's purpose.
As you declutter your life, you will focus more of your efforts on fulfilling your life's purpose. You will see anything that distracts you from your life's purpose as the clutter which it is. If you don't know your life's purpose, then you will try to figure it out instead of chasing distractions.
In summary, decluttering will allow you to have more space, money, and time. It will also turn your home into a calm sanctuary. All these benefits combine to reduce stress. But the life-changing benefits go beyond your home interior. It allows you to free up time for happiness, fulfillment, and other important things in life.