Three Reasons to Clear the Clutter

Ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all the “stuff” in your house? You aren’t alone: In a consumer society, it isn’t unusual for people to acquire more goods than they actually need. Getting rid of surplus stuff is a great step toward improving your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Ready to get started?

Clutter Scatters Your Attention

Objects attract attention. A cluttered area has lots of objects that both steal and scatter your attention. This makes it hard to accomplish important tasks such as work, exercise, or meditation.

Over time, this feeling of distraction and unproductiveness contributes to stress. Without an intervention (such as decluttering) your stress can increase, causing potential health problems, harming relationships, and providing other avenues for distraction.

Clutter Is an Extension of Your Energy

The notion of clutter being an extension of your energy may seem odd at first, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Our possessions belong to us. We either bought them with our own money or accepted them as gifts from others. They’ve taken up space in our homes and our lives and, at least for awhile, we cared for and maintained these items.

Over time, though, these items became less useful. The energy that we invested in them became stagnant. As a result, these items begin to get in our way. Once we clear them from our space, we find that we feel renewed: This is not surprising! The energy that was caught and trapped in clutter is now available to us.

Think of clearing your clutter as recycling both the material object and your energy!

Your Clutter May Serve Others

Many of the items you no longer need or use still have worth and utility. At this moment, there are likely a lot of people in your social circle or wider community who may be able to make use of clothing that no longer fits you, kitchen items that you no longer cook with, furniture that no longer fits with your décor, or toys that your kids have outgrown. By gifting your items directly, or donating them to a charity or thrift store, you can help meet the needs of others.

• Donate clothes, furniture, etc... to Home of the Sparrow. Proceeds benefit battered women & children.

• Donate clothing, shoes, purses and linens to Trinity (Various Drop boxes: Chicago, Glenview, Des Plaines, Lake Villa). Proceeds support local food pantries.

• Donate unwanted food to West Deerfield Township Food Pantry

• Donate gently used toys to Cradle to Crayons (Highwood)

Tips for Clearing Clutter

If you’ve decided its time to declutter and simplify your living and working spaces, here are some tips to help get you started:

1. Break down decluttering into manageable steps. Choose a room and, if necessary, a section of that room (such as a closet or chest of drawers) for cleanout. Set a timer for 60 minutes. Repeat the next day until the room is decluttered. Then move on to another room.

2. Have a plan for the clutter: Arrange for a charity or thrift-store pickup/drop-off, have a garage sale, or call a junk hauling service. Whatever you do, don’t let your sorted clutter linger in your home!

3. Deep clean (and smudge) after decluttering. This makes your space even more pleasant and reinforces your commitment to keeping things clutter-free.

Final Thoughts: Decluttering as a Spiritual Practice

Decluttering, and staying decluttered, in a society that encourages over-consumption is a spiritual practice. Mindful acquisition, and disposal, of possessions is a counter-cultural act. As you enjoy the peacefulness of your newly decluttered home, work to develop habits of simplicity so that the clutter doesn’t begin to creep in again. Your new discipline will serve you, and those around you, well.