Photo by Tiare Scott
If I start the day walking into a cluttered room, I will feel like I’m already behind schedule and it doesn’t exactly set a good mood.
It doesn’t make me want to achieve any goals nor does it give me any positive energy.
On the other hand a decluttered room makes a great start to the day. The look of simplicity in a room makes me feel at ease and makes me want to be creative. It determines my mindset for the rest of the day.
I usually wake up early to enjoy the sunrise with a nice cup of tea. Then I start being productive.
Doing this in a room that does not distract me from what I want to do and at the same time giving me a feeling of well being is just what I need.
I get inspired in an invoirment where there is enough space to let my imagination run wild.
Everyday I like to get a certain amount of good work done. It works best if I can concentrate on what I am busy with, without having to worry about all the stuff that is lying around or stuff that I can not find.
Pure efficiency, pure serenity.
Here are 5 benefits that will make your life a whole lot easier:
1. Piece of mind
A cluttered room leads to a cluttered mind and vice versa. Mess equals stress. A decluttered room makes you feel calm and relaxed. It puts you in a state of Zen.
2. Timesaver
The less stuff there is in a room, the less stuff you have to clean, clear away and maintain.
Cleaning and moving your stuff is a vicious circle. When you have less stuff in the room you won’t be spending all your time moving things around, replacing it and think about where to put it all the time. A huge timesaver. Don’t underestimate it.
3. Focus
You will be able to focus better on the things that really matter. Clutter leads to procrastination. Once you step into a declutterd room you will be able to get things done without being distracted or overwhelmed by mess.
4. In place
Isn’t it great to know where your important stuff is every single time. When you organize the important things and clear away the rest, you will never miss anything anymore. You will never have to worry and never be too late.
Now before you walk out the door to look for your keys, you will always find them in the right place. You will always have your sunglasses where they should be. No more delays, no more discussions who put what where. Always on time.
5. Inspiration
To walk into a room that reflects simplicty and calmness is something to be enjoyed.
It makes you want to read a book, write, create or think about the things to come.
A decluttered room leads to inspiration.
How to go about it:
1. The Kaizen method
Small steps. Just one closet at a time, one drawer, one table, one shelf, one corner.
While you are at it, don’t think about what is next. Concentrate on that one spot.
Clean it up, Clear it out. To keep yourself sane, declutter one closet or drawer each day. Reward yourself after doing it. Enjoy the simplicity.
2. Schedule a declutter day
Next to the kaizen method you can also schedule a declutter day for the big clutter issues. The big closets, the garage, the attic, etc.
3. Paperless
Scan papers and documents onto your computer and upload them on google docs or dropbox. Get rid of old magazines. Scan the most important articles and throw away the rest. Uploading your documents makes them accessible from anywhere. Do this the kaizen way. It feels great once you’ve done it.
4. Get rid of it
Throw away or give away the things you haven’t used within a year. You probably recognize the story where you want to get rid of stuff in your closet, but you’re reluctant to throw certain things away. You look at it and you think: “I’ll be needing this some time later” and you put it back.
A year later you look in that closet and you come across those same certain things and again you think: “I’ll be probably needing this some time later” and you put it back again and again and again.
Be real. Get rid of it!
5. Give away
Give stuff away that you don’t need or use. Give it to friends or family members. You can make someone else happy and you feel good about it.
6. Maintain simplicity
Be aware of adding new stuff. Tell yourself you need to get two things out of the door whenever you want to buy something new. This way you will be more cautious when you buy or add new stuff.
Prevent clutter. Maintain simplicity.
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