Decluttering for your mental health and a little extra cash!
Our stuff surrounds us — it’s on the coffee table, side tables, in our junk drawer, cars, closets, kitchen, garage, and storage. It even sounds overwhelming! When we have a lot of stuff, it causes us to have to search for what we actually need.
Not only is the process time-consuming, but it also takes mental energy — mental energy that we could spend on more valuable tasks in our lives. In addition, we end up spending more money acquiring more items because we often cannot find what we have when we need them.
People often do seasonal cleaning to get rid of stuff they no longer need. This is, again, taking valuable time and energy that could have been spent on a more exciting activity with loved ones or even just a weekend of relaxation.
If you’re like most people, you’re exhausted with the tasks already on your plate — work, family obligations, school events, and more. Digging through stuff to find what you need adds to that exhaustion. Some people believe that the more organized they are, the easier it will be to find and use their belongings. While this is often true, keeping everything organized takes time and energy. If this comes naturally to you — great! For those of you who don’t find it easy or enjoyable, it can feel very overwhelming.
The most extreme examples include renting an external storage unit or buying a new, larger, and more expensive house to maintain the growing collection of stuff. Both are expensive methods and only temporarily resolve the symptoms.
Declutter Your Life and Reduce Your Stress
Imagine an easier alternative — less stuff. Less clutter. More space. Space in our home, garage, and closets where we can breathe easily while seeing everything. There are many books and resources on how to reduce clutter, but as an experienced life mentor, we at Meru Mentor believe the most essential element is changing your habits which will consequently improve your mindset.
Here are my top two tips for a life of less clutter:
- Have peace with space (don’t fill every gap)
- Keep only items you cherish and use the most
How to Live with Less
Changing or improving your mindset is not a simple task because we are habit-driven creatures. Our friends and family influence us. Companies selling items use scientifically proven tactics to sell us more things we don’t need.
How do we overcome these daily pressures?
- Start Small – Find a small space in your home and begin reducing the amount of stuff in that space. Don’t just relocate it — the objective is elimination. Often home offices are great beginning points as most people don’t need a lot of things for work (there are exceptions). If an office isn’t available, maybe start with your junk drawer, family room, garage/basement, or game room.
- Give Time – Initially, the space may feel empty. That is okay. Let time pass for a few days or even a few weeks. Over time, the room will begin to feel normal again and hopefully, you can find peace in the space.
- Meditation – Meditation is covered in many books and online articles these days. Some people gravitate towards meditation and mindfulness, while others avoid it. If meditation sounds interesting to you, it can be a useful strategy to help quiet your mind. Meditation is a practice — a lifelong journey that can often feel difficult in the beginning. After practicing, meditation does become more accessible, and the effects can be dramatic in quieting the mind of the daily clutter.
- Expand to Other Places – Now that the first space feels comfortable, apply the same awareness to other spaces. You may feel excited and move quickly through your space or you may progress slowly and methodically. Either way is effective, but remember to allow time for the space, and your mind, to settle into the changes.
- Awareness of Time, Energy, and Money – With less clutter, we gain time and energy and save money too. We don’t have to clean as much, purchase more, or search around looking for items. Be aware of that change. Sense how those changes feel in the body and mind — and your finances! You may find you have more money that can be diverted to debt, savings, experiences, or a vacation to see loved ones.
What Do I Do With All My Stuff?
If you have anxiety over separating from your things, don’t throw everything away just yet. Box it up, mark the date, and review it after six to 12 months. A lot of times, everything in the box can be donated or sold. Set other time limits on items not boxed up, such as 12 to 18 months.
Bonus Step: Eliminate All Marketing Emails
Most of us subscribe to daily emails to get a discount code or take advantage of a sale. These emails are persuasive, and people often act on them. We think we are getting a good deal and often end up buying products we don’t need. On top of that, we order additional items, and the expenditures get excessive.
By eliminating all marketing emails, we typically purchase less and are more focused on items we need. Sure, we may pay more for some of these items as they aren’t on sale, but we gain better financial footing by only purchasing items we need. When it comes to clutter, reducing purchases is vital — otherwise, the clutter eventually will return.
Balancing Your Belongings
Clutter can stress our mental health, and sometimes stress us emotionally too. It adds to the exhaustion in our lives. Hopefully, the steps mentioned above can help you change your perspective on clutter. Did you know you can turn clutter into cash? Take our three-day challenge to less stuff and more money!
If you’re looking for a life mentor to help you find balance in every area of life from finances to faith, let’s chat! At Meru Mentor, we take a holistic approach to coaching and mentoring, making it easier to achieve the life you desire.