11 Ways Decluttering Your Physical Space Can Lead To Clearer Thinking And Emotional Clarity

For multiple reasons, physical space has always had a great effect on our mental and emotional health.

A study published in the journal Nature found that city dwellers have a 21% higher risk of anxiety disorders and a 39% higher risk of mood disorders compared to people living in rural areas. The places where you spend a lot of time — home, work, school, and even socially — can have a significant impact on your mental well-being.

This article takes a deep dive into what clutter and decluttering are and how they affect our emotional and mental health.

What is clutter?

According to Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, “Clutter is an overabundance of possessions that collectively create chaotic and disorderly living spaces,” the accumulated amount of “things’’ in one’s personal or workspace is clutter. Things thing usually have no particular use or value just a bunch of junk and stuff filling the place where human activities should take place

What is decluttering?

Decluttering is the process of deliberately organizing, sorting, and removing unnecessary or excess items from space to create a more streamlined and organized environment. Simply put, decluttering means minimizing possessions within a space to create a more functional, aesthetically pleasing, and stress-free living or working space.

While tidy spaces can invoke a sense of calm, clutter has also been known to increase stress levels, make it difficult to focus, take a toll on relationships, and have many more effects. Cluttered space can create feelings of overwhelm and anxiety and create a general sense of disorientation.

The effect of “stuff” on both our mental and physical health, has never been more detrimental. Decluttering plays a transformative role in promoting clearer thinking and emotional clarity as it paves the way for a more focused, serene, and emotionally balanced life.

Some effects decluttering can have on your mental and emotional health are:

1. Reduced distraction: Decluttering helps you stay focused by getting rid of things that might grab your attention and distract you from what you’re working on. Physical clutter creates visual noise, making it harder for the brain to focus on what’s important.

Decluttering allows the eyes to rest on a clean and organized space thereby improving productivity and reducing distraction. Since decluttering involves logically organising belongings, it reduces the time spent searching for things allowing more time to focus on your work or activities.

Common distractions include:

• Visual distractions such as scattered piles of paper or documents, unorganized and cluttered shelves with a mix of unrelated items, excessive knick-knacks, unattended or messy work surfaces, etc.
• Technology distractions such as multiple electronic devices, cords, and chargers entangled and disorganized, a cluttered computer desktop with numerous icons and open windows.
• Physical obstacles like piles of books, boxes, or other items obstruct pathways and movement. Cluttered and crowded furniture arrangements, make it challenging to move freely.

2. Enhanced productivity: Decluttering often involves evaluating and optimizing workflows. This can lead to the elimination of redundant steps and the implementation of more efficient processes, ultimately improving overall workflow efficiency.

By decluttering, prioritizing tasks and processes, and streamlining workflows, time-consuming or redundant processes are eliminated, resulting in lower distractions promoting a more efficient work environment, and leading to higher productivity levels.

The psychological effect of an organized environment on task completion is that clean and organized workspace can invoke a sense of pride and responsibility leading to increased job satisfaction.

3. Stress reduction: While clutter can contribute to a perceived lack of control over one’s environment, which may be a source of stress. Decluttering gives a sense of control and organization which leads to a reduction of stress.

Decluttering also reduces the amount of time spent sorting through stuff to find essential tools for work or life which leads to curbing the amount of energy spent during this checking period.

This energy can be put to better use in another aspect of work, some aspect we would have otherwise ignored, and this in turn, increases productivity and leads to the reduction of stress.

4. Improved decision making: In a study published in the Journal of Psychological Science, researchers found that participants in a clean and orderly room were more likely to make healthier choices, exhibit more generous behavior, and adhere to conventional norms compared to those in a messy room.

The study suggests that environmental orderliness may have positive effects on various aspects of behavior. (The Physical Order Produces Healthy Choices, Generosity, and Conventionality (Vohs, et al., 2013).

This is no surprise as people have been known to be relaxed and more level-headed in a clear space as opposed to a scattered or cluttered environment. Clutter has been known to reduce cognitive load (i.e. the amount of information our working memory can process at any given time) but decluttering helps with this by enhancing concentration and increasing productivity.

5. Emotional release: Letting go of items with emotional attachments can initially be challenging, but it often leads to a sense of relief and reduced emotional stress. Decluttering allows individuals to release the emotional weight associated with certain possessions.

Once emotional attachments to possessions are decluttered, it’s easier to think, make decisions, and focus on priorities without the distraction of sentimentally charged items. This creates space for new experiences and opportunities.

6. Increased creativity: An orderly space is often linked to positive emotions, such as a sense of control, satisfaction, and comfort. Positive emotions, in turn, contribute to a clearer and more positive state of mind.

The mental space created by the effects of clutter is the opposite of what is needed for creativity to grow. Hence, individuals living in a clutter-filled environment are more likely to be less creative than those who are surrounded by an organized decluttered space.

A well-organized space can be aesthetically pleasing and serve as a source of inspiration. Colors, textures, and design elements in a clutter-free environment can positively influence mood and creativity, encouraging individuals to explore new ideas and approaches.

Also, in a clutter-free space, creative tools, materials, and resources are easily accessible. This facilitates a smoother creative process, as resources can quickly be found without wasting time searching through disorganized piles.

7. Better sleep quality: A tidy bedroom can have a positive impact on sleep hygiene, which refers to practices and habits that promote restful and quality sleep. The environment in which you sleep can significantly influence your ability to relax and achieve a good night’s sleep. With the reduction of visual chaos in the environment. stress and anxiety levels are lowered, making it easier to relax and unwind before bedtime.

A well-organized environment provides a more relaxing atmosphere, in which the mind is less likely to focus on unfinished tasks or clutter, allowing an easy transition into a state of relaxation.

Regular cleaning and decluttering help reduce the presence of dust, allergens, and other potential irritants in the bedroom. A clean environment can contribute to better respiratory health, reducing the likelihood of allergies that might disrupt sleep.

8. Enhanced emotional well-being: A clutter-free space can have several psychological benefits that contribute to overall emotional well-being. For example, the absence of visual chaos and disorder allows the mind to relax, promoting a sense of calm and tranquillity which reduces stress, it also helps to focus more easily on tasks at hand, leading to a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

A tidy space contributes to a positive mood and fosters mental clarity by instilling a sense of control over one’s environment which can extend to other aspects of life thereby reducing feelings of anxiety.

9. Mindfulness and present moment awareness: Mindfulness can foster a deeper connection with your environment and spark creative ideas as you make decisions about what to keep and what to let go. A clear physical space supports mindfulness practices. When the environment is organized, it is easier to engage in mindful activities, such as meditation or deep breathing exercises.

This contributes to mental clarity and a heightened awareness of the present moment. Decluttering emotional attachments encourages mindful consumption. It prompts individuals to think critically about the items they bring into their lives, focusing on the value and purpose of each possession rather than acquiring things impulsively.

10. Long-term clarity: Decluttering helps develop organizational habits that promote sustained orderliness. Establishing routines for tidying up and maintaining an organized space over time contributes to ongoing mental clarity as it becomes a natural part of one’s lifestyle.

Decluttering involves making decisions about what to keep, discard, or donate. Developing the ability to make intentional decisions about your possessions carries over into other aspects of life. This practice fosters a mindset of sustainable decision-making, contributing to long-term clarity in various areas.

11. Mindful consumption habits: Decluttering can promote mindful consumption habits by encouraging individuals to become more intentional and aware of their belongings, purchases, and overall lifestyle choices. it reveals areas of excess and unnecessary accumulation.

Recognizing these excesses prompts individuals to consider the impact of overconsumption and to be more mindful of their purchasing habits to prevent similar situations in the future.

Decluttering helps one evaluate the value of each item in terms of functionality, sentiment, and alignment with their goals. It brings to the forefront the need versus want issue and helps seamlessly evaluate the difference between both.

Decluttering and your mental health

Decluttering is not an easy feat to accomplish, especially when some not-so-useful items hold a lot of sentimental attachment and memories to us, but always remember the benefit of letting go and the risk we run not only to our physical health but also to our mental and physiological health.

Decluttering as we have seen has great benefits to us through stress reduction, mindfulness and awareness, emotional wellbeing, increased productivity and creativity, better sleep quality, enhanced decision-making, and a lot more. So let us all make the wise choice to let go and live a healthier, lighter, clutter-free life.