Many of us start the year determined to be more organised. Whether it’s one of your new years resolutions or not, getting more organised can help you in more ways than you may think. The decluttering craze is led by Japanese legend, Marie Kondo. You may have heard her name in passing or even read her bestseller, Tidying Up – either way she is the queen of organisation and her top tips have helped many across the world.
Clutter can do more damage to your mental health than you may imagine. It may overwhelm you at times and you might even be scared to open those cupboards jam-packed with who knows what. Let’s take a look at how clutter can affect you and what you can do to make your space better.
The psychology behind clutter
Whether you’ve got cupboards busting at the seams or piles of paper stacked around the house, both can seem pretty harmless. But disorganisation and clutter can have a cumulative effect on our brands. Like it or not, our brains like order, and constant visual reminders of disorganisation can drain our cognitive resources.
Clutter can also affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. It can make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk and watch TV shows, including ones about other people decluttering their lives.
How to implement better storage
The right storage can be the answer to all of your clutter problems. However, first things first – time to declutter. Decluttering your space and getting rid of unnecessary items can be both rewarding and therapeutic.
Start by emptying your cupboards. Whether you have clothes that can head to the charity shop or forgotten items stuffed into your overbed fitted wardrobe storage, pull everything out and sort into piles. Have one for everything you want to gift away that’s still in good condition, one for things you want to keep and another for things that need to be binned. Once you’ve completed this step, you can begin finding a home for everything again.
Whether you invest in innovative storage solutions for your cupboards or not, make sure you think logically about where everything is going. Afterall, there’s no point housing your underwear in an extremely awkward, hard-to-get-to space. You could use rattan or plastic containers for your accessories and other nick-knacks, racks to create more shelving and even buy specialist hangers for things like your jeans and ties.
Your bedroom and living spaces should be a peaceful retreat, and by having everything organised and clutter at bay, you can create just that.
