7 Things You Need to Declutter Right Now to be Happier

Imagine yourself being happier with your daily life…What would it take for you to be happier? What if I told you that you could actually be happier just by decluttering?

Living with clutter is debilitating. Did you know there are tons of statistics on the topic? Both physical and emotional clutter makes us anxious, it hinders our productivity and it leaves no room for inspiration. Yet many people don’t understand or at least can’t vocalize the impact.

I have a client that I just finished working with and she would always say, “I have to see it to believe it but I don’t think decluttering will do anything to my mental state.” I had my job cut out for me but we kept plowing ahead and working together until one day last week when I got an email from her where she stated “I’m a believer.. you helped me become one, I feel happier and this is better than therapy!”

Wow! What a complement. I knew this was true all along, but without actually experiencing the effects, it can be hard to believe. That is why I put together a list of seven areas that I believe make the biggest and fastest impact. Try some of these tips out for yourself and see if it makes a difference.

1. Closet Imagine a closet filled with just the things that make you look and feel great. What is you could embrace your body for what it is right now simple by declutter anything in your closet that doesn’t make you feel wonderful when you put it on. The way you feel when you get dressed in the morning can set the tone for your entire day.

2. Relationships Do you have any relationships in your life that just aren’t making you feel good? All of your relationships should be mutually beneficial. Relationships with your friends, family and loved ones should make both people happy. If you stressed and you don’t like being around someone, then move on.

3. Basement/storage unit Do you ever look at the items you’ve acquired throughout your life and ask yourself why you are actually holding onto them? If you don’t need it and don’t use it in your current life then you don’t need to hang onto it. Declutter your storage area and donate it to someone who could actually use it. Imagine walking to your basement and it being completely empty!

4. Schedule Think about having a schedule where you actually had time to do the things you love and didn’t feel like everything was a chore. You can make this happen by decluttering your schedule. If you don’t have the time, energy or want to do something then don’t take it on. Stop saying “yes” to everything and start scheduling time for yourself.

5. Your bedroom Imagine waking up in a bedroom so serene and relaxing that you forget your at home and not in a hotel. As a professional organizer I see a lot of people storing things in their bedrooms so the rest of their homes look neat, but this isn’t good. If you are sleeping in a cluttered space, you will feel cluttered and anxious when you wake up and that’s no way to start your day!

6. Your bathroom Just like in your closet, purge everything that doesn’t make you feel great. Declutter makeup, hair products and skincare products that just don’t work for you. Your bathroom should feel spa like and the best way to do this is fill it with only the things you love using.

7. Your workspace Did you know that clutter in your workspace makes you less productive and less inspired? When you declutter and organize your desktop, especially paper you can get much more done and come up with new ideas. Paper makes everyone anxious and is one of the biggest organizing hurdles we all face.