Stop Clutter by Understanding

The Impact of Clutter

Let’s look at some of the reasons to stop clutter from taking over your life, shall we?

The impact of clutter can be both extremely, painfully obvious and carefully, cleverly hidden.

I am such a huge believer in eliminating any and all sources of possible stress in life (the ones that we have a say-so over, anyway)…because most of what stresses us out is based on the simple, and not-so-simple, decisions we make each and every day.

At the very least, clutter causes all levels of inconvenience. For example:

The Good

When you can’t find your keys because they could be in any one of a thousand places and you’d like to be on your way to the park, well, that can be a tad inconvenient, right?

The Bad

When you can’t find your keys and you’re late for an important client meeting, and the client can’t wait around to keep the meeting and is upset, you might feel a twinge (or more!) of uncomfortable feelings.

The Ugly

When you can’t find your keys so you’re late for the job interview of a lifetime, or you’re late to your daughter’s last soccer game of the year, or you miss your flight to that European vacation you’ve been planning for 18 months, now you’re getting into potentially highly stressful territory.

In other words, clutter can affect you by degrees.

Now let's get into the nitty-gritty about the real reasons to stop clutter. :)

The Specific Impacts of Clutter

Clutter in all forms robs you of energy. Clutter energy is real, and can clearly be felt once you start clearing away the clutter (it's a natural high that burns cleanly).

Clutter can keep you stuck in ‘glory days,’ when all of your hopes and dreams live back in the good old days.

Clutter can affect your weight; the connection between weight gain and clutter is only now starting to be understood.

Clutter can affect your finances. Clutter and debt can be directly related (and we'll even talk about how clutter chases money away.)

Clutter can affect your peace of mind. Clutter causes stress (and stress causes clutter). When you reduce clutter to reduce stress, you are choosing the fastest, most effective method possible.

Clutter and depression often go hand in hand (something your shrink never told you, I bet).

Clutter affects your ability to be fully present with your children, your spouse, your friends, your family, your pets, and yourself.

Clutter can make you procrastinate. Clutter and procrastination, in fact, happen to be best friends who like nothing better than to sit and hang out with each other...until they feel like doing something, maybe.

Clutter can cost you money; in fact, there is an incredibly high cost of clutter. Much higher than the cost of gas. :) That alone is worth looking into how to stop clutter...

Clutter can affect your relationship with friends and family. Maybe you don’t have friends over because you’re embarrassed about what they might think. Or maybe you DO have friends over, but only after you have frantically cleaned, straightened, and tossed stuff in closets and under beds for a week before their scheduled arrival. Now does that sound fun? Not to me!

Clutter can cost you time.

Clutter can cost you energy.

Clutter can cost you self-esteem.

Clutter can cost you creativity.

Clutter can cost you opportunities.

Clutter issues go on and on...

Enough already? :)

Hopefully you've heard plenty of reasons to stop clutter in its tracks!

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