You may have experienced the feeling of cleaning up but still being feeling like things are messy. Or maybe, you’ve looked around the room and just felt like there is something in every corner. But the idea of moving things around and minimising is overwhelming.
Interestingly, more and more research is highlighting that clutter can have a negative impact on mental well being and productivity.
Clutter has been found to cause stress on a biological and neurological levels. This includes your cortisol level along with your ability to concentrate.
I know I’ve experienced an increase in procrastination and decrease in productivity when working in a cluttered space. Whether that is feeling like I need to clean everything first or just generally being distracted and there are multiple studies that have also seen a substantial link between procrastination and clutter.
To make things even more complicated we now have cluttered digital spaces too. From our desktops to the numerous notifications that just add to our daily stress levels.
You may have heard the saying tidy houses, tidy mind and wondered if there was much sense to it. There is in fact science to back this up. Clutter overstimulates our mind in turn our senses have to work twice as hard. Clutter can then make it really difficult to relax or just increase our anxiety surrounding the idea of all we need to do or rather all we haven’t got done. The unnecessary feelings of guilt and negative self talk isn’t healthy for any one
Clutter also makes it more difficult to find things which research has highlighted reduces creativity. There’s nothing quite like being in a rush or trying to meet a deadline but you can’t find that one thing.
Decluttering Can Be Really Intimidating, So Where To Start?
The best way is starting small. You may be in the mood to go down the Marie Kondo approach and ask yourself whether things spark joy but equally this can bring up a lot of emotions.
I would advise starting with visual spaces and reducing that clutter:
Have a clear work space. This will help minimise distraction and friction. Even if that means you having boxes or draw under your desk rather than putting everything on your desk.
Use storage rather than surfaces. As much as it can look nice having all your products out it can also overwhelm your mind and create an illusion of stress.
Get rid of things you no longer need. From expired products to that item you bought five years ago (that you swear you’ll use one day).
Put things away as you use them.This one can be really difficult but to me it makes all the difference. Ensuring that things have a place and you keep up with putting things back will help your space stay cleaner rather than becoming overwhelming
Box things you no longer use. Throwing or donating things can be overwhelming for many so why not store things for the moment to reduce visual clutter.
Try to buy less. Learn to ask yourself where things will go? If you will actually use it. How long will you use it for? Just being more mindful is key.
Ultimately, it’ll take time to declutter; so even if you put one thing away today, you’re making progress.
