Household clutter is a common issue that many — if not most — people end up facing on a somewhat regular basis.
Maybe you’ve been having an exhausting week at work and let some packaging and old newspapers accumulate in a corner of the house next to your laundry basket, and then one thing leads to another and you find yourself completely swamped. Or maybe you just own too many things — with a lot of them being belongings that you don’t even feel much attachment towards.
Whether by looking up self storage options during a move to begin auditing your belongings, or by practicing a purpose-built home-decluttering method, here are some good reasons not to let your home get too cluttered.
With too many belongings you may find that you appreciate each belonging less
One of perhaps the strongest arguments that people sometimes make in favor of minimalism, is that minimalists cherish the belongings they have more, because they have fewer of them — and are also therefore more likely to emphasize “quality over quantity.”
While we all have our favorite belongings that have some particular meaning to us, it’s nonetheless the case that you’re likely to outright forget about, or fail to give much attention to, a lot of what you own, if your home is full of stuff.
Decluttering a bit can help you to remember and appreciate your more prized possessions, on a day-to-day basis.
A cluttered home can cause you to feel more overwhelmed
There’s something about having a clean and harmonious living space that tends to have a naturally calming and soothing effect, for one reason or another. There’s something “Zen” about it, in the same way as the famous Zen gardens of Japan.
On the other hand, having a cluttered home will tend to have the opposite effect — and will likely end up causing you to feel significantly more overwhelmed.
Today, many of us are chronically stressed, and find that our attention is always being dragged in a number of different directions at any given time.
Decluttering and organising your home can help to turn it into an oasis of calm, instead.
You will generally be more “agile” in life with a less cluttered home
When your home is less cluttered, and is better organized, you will tend to be more “agile” in a number of different senses.
For one thing, you will be more “agile” in the sense that you will be able to more readily find things that you are looking for, on the fly.
For another thing, you will also be able to invite people over more spontaneously, or to arrange and pack for vacation getaways with less trouble.
You will also likely find that it’s easier to go through with a home move if your home is less cluttered — as you will be able pack and catalogue your belongings in a more straightforward and hassle-free manner.
Life just tends to be easier, and more dynamic, when your home is less cluttered.