Having too much stuff under foot can cause problems. On the minor side, it can make your home appear unsightly, and on a more serious level, having lots of things on the floor or stacked up against walls can be a safety hazard. One aspect of clutter that often goes overlooked, however is the mental one. Living immersed in excessive belongings can take its toll on one’s psychological well-being.
It's easy for clutter to build up everywhere, whether it’s piles of papers on your desk, clothes in the bedroom or dishes and appliances all over the kitchen counter. All this accumulation can make people feel overwhelmed and anxious. Our homes are spaces where we should be able to relax and unwind, but that’s all clouded when you’re surrounded by junk. Clutter can also serve as a constant reminder of unfinished tasks and projects, which can lead in turn to feelings of guilt or shame. Too much stuff can make you feel disconnected from your home and personal life and make it more challenging to find joy.
If your home is in such a situation, we can help with some strategies for minimizing all the stuff around you.
Start small by removing broken items as well as surrounding trash and recyclable materials. Next, remove items that don’t belong to you and return them to their owners. Next, sort the remaining items by their purpose or the room they belong in.
From there, you can focus more on what to do with what remains. Get rid of items that you no longer use or need. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t touched it in a year, you probably won’t be using it much in the future. You could donate them to charity and get a tax write-off or sell them and salvage a few bucks out of it.
Don’t try to eat the whole elephant in one day. Start with just a drawer or a single cabinet. Getting that one area in shape will give you positive feelings and help you build momentum to take on the rest. Give yourself days, weeks or even months to get the whole house knocked out. Once you experience the positive feelings of a cleaner, tidier space, you’ll start to make real progress, and you might finish the project sooner than you thought you could.
If all else fails, hire a professional organizer to come in and help you strategize the best ways to get your clutter, and your mental well-being, under control.
Of course, if you decide you want to keep more items than what can comfortably and peacefully occupy your living spaces, consider getting a storage unit to accommodate the overflow. Give us a call, and based on the number and size of items you want to keep, we can help you figure out which size unit will best suit your needs.