Are you feeling overwhelmed by clutter that has built up in your home over the past year? If so, you’re not alone. With the new year’s promise of a clean slate, January is a popular time for people to take stock of their surroundings and get rid of surplus stuff.

Go ahead and reorganize. Your spaces will look better, and you may just improve your well-being.

The Benefits of Being Organized

Getting rid of clutter and rearranging your environment can boost your mental and physical health in several ways. Getting organized can help you:

• Regain a sense of control. If you’re feeling stressed, cleaning and reorganizing enables you to make your surroundings more pleasant, helping you to calm down.

• Be less anxious. Most people feel more comfortable with order and symmetry. Chaos and clutter can heighten anxiety. Finding a place for everything and returning everything to its place can restore a sense of peace.

• Build self-confidence. There’s nothing like decluttering for strengthening decision-making skills. What will I keep? What will I discard? Where will I store each item? As you reorganize, each newly clean and tidy space may provide a sense of accomplishment and boost your faith in your ability to make decisions and get things done.

• Focus better on tasks. A chaotic environment can make it hard to concentrate on completing tasks. In a cluttered space, you may spend fruitless time searching for the right baking pan for your favorite recipe or the proper tool for your home repair. But if everything is in a designated space, you can focus on the job at hand rather than spend extra time searching for what you need.

• Develop healthier habits. If your more organized space allows you to reduce the time you spend on daily tasks, you may free up time to be active and go for a walk, ride a stationary bike or exercise on a treadmill. And organizing your kitchen and your shopping lists can help you develop more healthy eating habits. You may be less tempted to go out for a restaurant meal loaded with fat and calories, for example, if your kitchen is stocked with delicious, nutritious choices.

Getting Started

Experts offer these tips for clearing the clutter:

• Focus on one small space at a time. Trying to tackle everything at once will simply become overwhelming. Instead, set a small goal. Focus on one closet shelf, one storage box under the bed or one kitchen cupboard. When you achieve that goal, set the next one. You may be surprised at how quickly you can declutter and reorganize when you choose to work on one small area at a time.

• Block out a specific time to declutter. Schedule any amount of time that works for you, whether that’s 10 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour. If you’ve committed to a time to declutter and reorganize, you’ll be more likely to do it. When you begin, set a timer and start with one of your goals. Don’t worry about how much you accomplish in that time. During your next dedicated decluttering and reorganizing session, you can pick up wherever you left off.

• Ask for help. Don’t try to go it alone. Ask friends or family if they can help you declutter and reorganize. Many hands make light work, and your helpers may have great ideas for what to keep and how to organize your belongings.

• Give yourself grace. You don’t have to be perfect or arrange your home according to the latest hot social media trend. Organize your space in a way that works for you.

Sources:
Psychology Today
Utah State University Mental Health Education Extension
VeryWell Mind