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The Mental Health Impact of Clutter

May 16, 2024 by Heather Filed Under: Health, Organize, Organizing Projects, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

Improve Your Mental Health – The Link Between Clutter, Stress, and Anxiety

Have you ever looked around your home and felt frustrated by the impact of clutter on your life? After all, stacks of paper on the counter, never-ending piles of laundry, and stuff covering every surface can feel overwhelming!

Certainly, you’re not alone. Clutter has become a major problem in our culture, and it’s even taking a toll on our emotional and mental health. You’ve felt it before, right? What impact can clutter around you have on your mind and well-being?

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss clutter’s impact on our mental health — and how organization can help!

“High stress prevents us from organizing our homes, but the clutter itself can also lead to stress.”

-NATALIE CHRISTINE DATTILO, PHD

The Impact of Clutter

It’s not just your friendly neighborhood organizer (Hi!🙋‍♀️) who says clutter has an impact on your mental health — research shows it, too. Studies have found that when someone perceives their home as cluttered, their cortisol levels increase. What’s cortisol? The stress hormone.

The key word, however, is ‘perceive’. Clutter weighs on people differently. To some, a stack of paper on the kitchen counter is organized. To others, it’s a taunting pile of agitation.

Understanding how you relate to clutter is the first step in identifying its impact on your mental health.

5-Step Solution to Clutter

Once you better understand your clutter’s impact on your well-being, it’s time to decide what to do about it. This varies for everyone, but there are a few universal steps I’d suggest you take.

Find Your Biggest Stressor

As we’re talking about mental health, I suggest pinpointing the space in your home that stresses you the most. Find the low-hanging fruit that will impact your daily life, like the entryway you go in and out of each day or the dining room table that’s always covered.
Start Small

Though you might find your overflowing garage or basement your most stressful space, those are huge projects. Instead, choose a smaller space that will allow you to see results immediately. Examples include a kitchen drawer, bedroom nightstand, or single shelf.
Set a Timer

You’d be amazed by how much better you feel after 15 minutes of decluttering. If you find you have more stamina, feel free to keep going. But remember that progress is better than perfect! (Because Perfect isn’t real:()
Sort Your Stuff

Starting in your small space, go through the items and decide what can be kept, tossed, donated, or recycled. Even in a small space, you’ll be amazed by how much you can go, and you’ll quickly feel a little lighter.
System Set-up

Systems sound big and complicated, but they can be simple, too! Hanging your keys on the same hook every single day is a system. Putting your shoes in the same spot when you get home is a system. Once you’ve sorted the items in your small space, put them back in a way that works for your habits. Think about how you use the space and decide whether items belong there. If they do, contain them in a way that can help you find them when you need them next.

Support and Resources

As with anything that feels overwhelming, it can help tremendously to have someone at your side along the way. I would love to support you through your organizing journey, but I understand there’s a time and place for everything. I’m here when you’re ready to declutter and organize. I’ve got other organizing posts about clutter and decluttering, so please also check those out.

Some professional organizers specialize in chronic disorganization, frequently related to neurodivergence. If you struggle with ADHD, hoarding, or other challenges, you may find the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) a helpful resource.

If you or a loved one needs additional mental health support or services, please visit the National Institute of Mental Health website for the resources listed.

Your clutter action plan

January 17, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Paper management, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

What areas of Clutter overwhelm you? It’s important to identify where you get stuck and understand why. This clutter action plan will help you establish order and bring clutter under control. If you’re not clear on this, check out my post on the muddy water metaphor to help you identify with the feelings behind your clutter…then hop back over here or jump in now!

Start with the least cluttered category. Whatever category on your list above feels easiest – small stuff or big stuff (clear a big space)-start easy! By starting with easier items we gain compelling momentum! You will move on to bigger challenges once you’ve made progress in easier areas.

Decide before you begin. Start with a category of items (my preference), ex. all books, all kids clothes, all papers, all kitchen stuff or work by location (one closet at a time etc). There are advantages to each. When working by category you need to gather everything in one place and when working by location you may have to go back to locate things that belong in other categories. Decide before you begin.

Schedule it. Block out distractions and give yourself a deadline (a day a week etc). Set aside the time you think this will take. Estimate it and give yourself a bit of extra but set a limit. If appropriate, schedule a donation pick up, this will motivate you to get it done by the time they come for the pick up!
Gather supplies. Such as bags, boxes, sorters, a label maker/labels, rubber bands, paperclips, a shredder etc and make sure these items are handy if not right by your side).
Create a work zone. This will serve for the duration of your clutter clearing project. Ideally you can leave things (supplies, unsorted stuff, donation stuff) in this location till you are done! Even better if you can close the door on them between sessions if you can’t complete everything at once (a day, a weekend etc).
Make it fun! Put on some great music, light a candle, some incense…whatever will put you in a happy place.
Sort it. Start with trash, toss items if they are broken, don’t bring joy or are otherwise not functional. Make a maybe pile if you aren’t sure. Start with what’s easiest, if you think it’s useful but don’t need it, donate it to your charity of choice! It helps to know your things will be loved and used by others-share your abundance!
Categorize it. (seasonal, where you use it, how often etc). This is where you begin to see your organizing systems emerge. What do you need based on what you have?
Contain it. If you can’t do this all at once the create an area to work through un-categorized items until you’ve finished every last item. It can help to work through one category at a time. Don’t stop till you’ve returned things to their homes (old or new), tossed the trash and donations are out the door.
Reward yourself and Repeat. For each category or location take the steps above to complete the action plan and reward yourself with something small (flowers, a meal out etc).

When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you.

-Michael B. Kitson

What are Clutter Magnets?

January 8, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Systems & Techniques

What are clutter magnets? They are those spots in your home or work that tend to accumulate clutter, no matter what you do to change them. Maybe they look something like this?

WHAT: These are items that tend to accumulate in ‘Clutter Magnet zones’.

It could be just about anything, but here are some commonly “magnetic” items.

Keys/keychains
Mail
Wallets
Backpacks
Purses
Umbrellas
Clothes/accessories
Sports equipment/toys
Books
Lunch bags, water bottles, and other snack/food items
Projects (paperwork, hobbies, homework, etc.)

WHERE: Possible areas that might be clutter magnets.

By the front door, on a table or bench, anywhere in the “Drop zone”.
Kitchen or Dining Room tables: Any vertical surface is in danger of becoming a clutter magnet, and tables, no matter how we try to keep them clean, always attract stuff.
Kitchen counters, especially if you have an entrance nearby.
Bags! Sweep it into the bag, never to be seen again!
Your Car? The kids’ extra toys, clothes, trash, and more…
Desktops: Ensure that you regularly update these items.

WHY: Take an honest look at why clutter magnet zones happen.

Laziness: Put things back where they belong! (I’m not judging…I’m just saying!)
Homeless items, if you don’t know where to put them, then they will end up just about anywhere.
Bad habits can be changed.
Too busy-this isn’t an excuse if you have created solutions for your stuff-take the correct action.

HOW: Can we change this behavior?

Turn these clutter magnets into clutter-free zones!
Identify what lands in your clutter magnet and decide where everything belongs.
Create homes for the items that do not have a permanent landing place.
Use hooks for keys, bags (such as purses, backpacks, etc.)
Shelves for electronics, wallets, and other “pocket contents”.
Baskets or boxes for mail… better yet, drop what you don’t need right into recycling and take the rest to your desk “action” file or inbox.

I’m not going to lie, it may not be easy to fully erase clutter magnet zones, but you can change your habit by paying attention to where, what, and why things tend to accumulate. Once you understand your behavior patterns, you can then implement a plan and practice, practice, practice until it becomes a new habit.

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Is your clutter overwhelming you?

January 1, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Paper management, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

As much as we all might like to live a totally clutter free life it may not be entirely possible. If your is Clutter Overwhelming you, taking a look at what clutter categories are in our lives can help us understand what triggers our overwhelm.

**clut·ter verb ˈklə-tər**

intransitive verb

: to run in disorder

transitive verb

: to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness

There are many kinds of clutter in our lives. Take a moment to evaluate each category and decide where you can reduce clutter. Know that it might get worse before it gets better...all that dirt that may emerge by way of emotions and literal mess might not be pretty! Hang in there and you will be rewarded if you are can be open to the process. As your thinking about each of these categories, imagine them as you want them to be-intentions are powerful!

Mail-incoming and outgoing (try reducing it by removing subscriptions to magazines, junk mail and catalogs).
Kids-school bags, sports equipment, books, toys, clothes etc…get your kids involved and create a place for easy pick up and storage of transient items.
Office-paperwork, files, receipts, mail etc. Create one designated area and consider using a type of action or tickler filing system to corral it all.
Digital-photos (delete the impulse pictures that don’t turn out well and you would never print!), email (removed yourself from subscriptions and consider creating multiple email addresses for different purposes), digital computer files (create a file hierarchy similar to your paper file system).
Household-things that you have sitting around but don’t love (rotate displays or give items away to friends and charity with no strings attached).
Mental-those endless thoughts that run in circles in your mind, find a way to tame them by taking notes, writing in a journal and releasing them if the are out of your control!

As much as we all might like to live a totally clutter free that’s probably not realistic. Understanding our limitations and having realistic expectations can help us decide where to start. Once you’ve evaluated the clutter areas in your life, prioritize them from worst to best and get ready for action.

“Clutter is a physical manifestation of fear that cripples our ability to grow.” ~H.G. Chissell

There are so many kinds of clutter in our lives. Take a moment to think about each category and evaluate which areas trigger your overwhelm.

Mail-incoming and outgoing (try reducing it by removing subscriptions to magazines, junk mail and catalogs)
Kids-school bags, sports equipment, books, toys, clothes etc…get your kids involved and create a place for easy pick up and storage of transient items
Office-paperwork, files, receipts, mail etc. Create 1 designated area and consider using a type of action or tickler filing system to corral it all
Digital-photos (delete the impulse pic’s that don’t turn out well and you would never print!), email (removed yourself from subscriptions and consider creating multiple email addresses for different purposes), digital computer files (create a file hierarchy similar to your paper file system)
Household-things that you have sitting around but don’t love (rotate displays or give items away to friends and charity with no strings attached)
Mental-those endless thoughts that run in circles in your mind, find a way to tame them by taking notes, writing in a journal and releasing them if the are out of your control!

Once you’ve evaluated the cluttered areas of your life, prioritize them in order of worst to best join me this month for the Clutter Purge Challenge! On day one we will release 1 item, on day 31, we will releas 31 things! That’s almost 500 physical manifestations that are holding us back! Click here to join the challenge, you can join in at any time!

“When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you.”~Michael B. Kitson

3 steps to stop clutter before it starts!

July 25, 2017 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

If you can recognize personal patterns in these 3 key areas of your life, you will be on your way to stop clutter before it starts! These are ongoing aspects of life that require practice to create lasting change. With a level of self awareness and a plan, we can stop clutter before it starts and begin to live a more simple life.

Stop Clutter before it starts by sharing experiences not things.

We want people to know how much we care about them, often this is expressed via the exchange of gifts. Some people love to buy gifts, some people love to wrap and give gifts, some people cringe when they see a gift because they feel they already have too much stuff. Whether you are the person giving or receiving, it can be challenging to know what “Stuff” is worth to someone else. We need to have more open and candid conversations about the consumption of stuff and let people know when we prefer to receive less. When it comes to the art of gift giving, we can eliminate unneeded clutter and hurt feelings and give more thoughtful gifts by sharing our feelings openly and honestly. One way to give meaningful gifts that don’t create clutter is to share experiences and events, meals, concerts, vacations etc rather than buying actual things. This is my personal favorite way to stop clutter when it comes to the art of gift giving.

Another clutter trap that can stop us in it’s tracks is memorabilia. This might include kids artwork, handmade gifts (from family or friends) or things you associate with an event or occasion. This can be tricky, especially when you know someone spent minutes, hours, days or longer creating something for you. Maybe you can use it, maybe you know someone else who would love it more. You do not have to announce to the gift giver that you have sold or donated their masterpiece, you can discretely let it go when the time is appropriate.

Greeting cards and correspondence…Keeping every card you were ever given, just because you love someone doesn’t really help you remember the special moments! Keep a few special letters, cards and photo’s, take digital photo’s of a few you might be on the fence about and recycle the rest.

Memorabilia is more meaningful when you can easily access it rather than have to sort through a lot of clutter to find it.

Is your kids artwork clutter? It might be! Is this their first handprint or their fiftieth? Are they better at playing music than painting and putting together crafty creations? Create an artwork gallery wall, display things on rotation, snap photo’s of their art and as with above, only keep what is really unique, lets their personal creativity shine or helps you hold onto a very special memory. You are still an awesome parent even if you don’t keep every drawing, painting or artwork they ever made.

Before you buy, get to know your shopping triggers. This is not the post to cover addressing deeper issues with shopping addiction, yet I’m not making light of a situation that can be a big problem. Shopping for things we don’t need and spending more than we want can be a not so healthy pattern for the average person. Bring awareness to what you tend to shop for and when you find yourself wanting to spend. What are your patterns and traps? Do you love an estate sale, shoes, online shopping at 2am when you can’t sleep? Look for your traps and stop clutter before you buy. Find ways to distract yourself from shopping when you know you could easily fall into that trap. Delete the sale emails, don’t keep your tablet or phone by the bed, reward yourself for not shopping and use the one in, one (or more) out rule if you must shop. Buy things that you need, buy good quality but don’t buy for the sake of buying.

Want to learn more about what you really need and what you really use? Read this great article about the Pareto Principle.