Declutter the home to lower stress

Clearing out the clutter and getting organised is not only a great New Year’s resolution; it may save time, money and lead to better health as well.

A recurrent New Year’s resolution for many people is to get organised. Like that other perennial favourite, losing weight, getting organised is a process that can only be achieved with some consistent effort. The good news is that it’s easier than giving up chocolate milkshakes and choosing to declutter the home could save time, money, and frustration both at home and at work.

Good Reasons to Get Organised

A fact sheet from the National Association of Professional Organisers (NAPO) says that clearing out clutter eliminates 40% of the work needed to clean the average home. There is a lot of clutter in the average home. The NAPO claims that 80% of the items in most households are never used.

Disorganisation in the workplace is not only frustrating; it is expensive as well. The NAPO fact sheet states that a company with around 1,000 employees will waste an average of $2.5 million a year trying unsuccessfully to locate and retrieve information. Not surprising since the NAPO also states that 25% of office employees keep vital information in stacks rather than files.

Taking Care of Clutter is Good for Your Health

People are motivated to lose weight because it improves their health. Surprisingly, research now indicates that clearing up all those unfinished tasks, like organising the family photos, cleaning out closets, or organising the office, also improves a person’s health. Stress is the greatest “ager” of all since it increases the probability of developing heart disease, strokes, memory loss, infections, and cancer.

However, most of us think of the kind of stress, such as working at a demanding job, scrambling to meet tight deadlines, or even having car trouble on the motorway at rush hour, is not the kind of stress that typically causes lasting health problems.

Unfinished tasks add eight years to a person’s age. In other words, a 35-year old with months of unfiled papers heaped on the desk, or weeks of unfolded laundry piled on the sofa, has a “real” age of 43. What better motivation to clean off the desktop, organise those files, and deal with clutter once and for all?

Start Small for Big Results

The NAPO website states that there is no one right way to get organised. People’s personalities, living and working situations, and family structures create specialised needs. The important thing is to pick an area to focus on and get started.

Getting organised is a big job, rather than trying to do it all at once, working on a “hot spot” somewhere in your home or office every day for just 15 minutes. Anyone can do just about anything for 15 minutes. The first 15 minutes won’t make much of a difference, of course, but 15 minutes a day, can transform a room, a home, or an office every day for a month.

Make this the year to get organised. It’ll save time, money, and frustration, and it could even make you healthier.