CNBNews

(September 23, 2020)--Almost everyone has a little clutter in their lives. The problem is, when that clutter becomes unmanageable, it can become extremely stressful, and that's never good for you. If you have an overload of clutter in your home (or in your life), then it can make it feel as if your life is out of control, and the old adage of 'mess causes stress' is more relevant than ever. 

"Clear clutter – make space for you." – Magdelena Vandenberg

Not everyone will have a problem with the clutter that they face every day, but it can quickly become a time-waste or an energy drainer. Severe levels of clutter can even lead to health issues. Decluttering is a stress buster, and it can improve your life in a lot more ways than you might think.

Get Organized

The best way to start your decluttering is to have a plan. Start by thinking about each room in your home and writing a list of all of the main areas where clutter seems to build up. Then, walk through those rooms and list them in order, from the worst space for clutter to the best. 

"The more you own things, the more they own you." – unknown

It's a good idea to plan to declutter one room at a time and to set a time limit on each so that you have a target to reach for. Some rooms will be quicker to fix than others, with garages and attics tending to take the most work. Spend time making your plan as thorough as possible.

Clothing: The Rule of 80/20 

There's a general rule of thumb that people tend to only wear 20% of their clothes on a regular basis. The 80% that's left will tend to sit in your drawers or wardrobes all year round, never worn and taking up space that could be better used. 

"Get rid of clutter and you may just find that it was blocking the door you've been looking for." – Katrina Mayer

There are lots of ways to approach a good clothing declutter, but one of the simplest is to use the coat hanger approach. Put all of your clothes hanger hooks facing the same way on the rail, and then every time that you wear something, wash and hang it back up again, and make sure that the hook now faces the other way. This will show you just how many of those clothes aren't being worn. If you're not using something, then why keep it?

The Sunk Cost Problem

In economics, the Sunk Cost Fallacy is when you have invested money into something and won't be able to retrieve that money without spending more. It's a common problem, and it's something worth considering when it comes to your decluttering. 

"You can't reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday's junk." – Louise Smith

If you have a hobby collection that's actually worth more now than when you bought it, for example, then that's something worth keeping. However, the vast majority of the 'stuff' in your home is not going to be worth as much as it cost you in the first place, and that means you should consider it as a sunk cost. That means its only value is what that item can bring to your life. In many cases, clutter builds up because throwing it away means wasted money. However, if that item is not bringing anything positive to your life, then that money has already been wasted, and there is nothing you can do to change that, so move forward and declutter these items. Somebody else might find more value in it than you do. 

Think Bigger

Getting rid of a small DVD collection because you watch everything on Netflix is one thing, but what about when you want to make a bigger change? Look at those big trouble spots in your home, like the garage and the attic. Your attic is almost always a nightmare of clutter, and you can be sure that there are some big, expensive items up there that, deep down, you know you're never going to need or use. 

"Don't own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire."

― Wendell Berry

Start being brutal with your choices, and consider selling that emergency microwave, spare bed, or damaged wardrobe that you hid out of the way. Your garage can also be a hotspot for clutter, especially if you keep a car in there that you rarely use. More people than ever are getting rid of their cars and getting all of the money-savings that come with that big step, from insurance to gas prices. If it's been a while since you sat behind the wheel, consider freeing up garage space by taking your old car to a donation center where it will be put to better use.

Don't Be Too Hasty

Once you get into the decluttering mode, it can be very easy to go farther than you wanted to when you first started. It's incredibly therapeutic to get rid of unnecessary belongings, but don't be too quick to throw clutter away. Put the items that you think you don't want anymore into a box and sleep on the decision. 

"Clutter may rob us of the life we imagined or prevent us from creating a new vision for our future." ― Lisa J. Shultz

If you wake up the next and instantly regret putting that item into the clutter box, then just take it back out again and find somewhere to keep it. Decluttering doesn't have to be an attack on your home and your most loved possessions. It's about streamlining your life so that your stress levels drop, and you have to spend less time hunting for things or tidying up an unnecessary mess.

From making better use of storage areas and boxes to emptying out your kitchen cupboards and getting rid of that slow-cooker you never use or the five saucepans you got as gifts, decluttering your home means that the benefits extend into your daily life. With less stress and more options for what to do with your living space, getting rid of that old clutter can have many beneficial and far-reaching effects on how you live.