You gain much more than a tidier space when you declutter your home. Discover the mental health benefits of cleaning house, then read on for 10 tips from experts to help you get — and stay — organized.
Be honest: Does everything in your living space spark joy? That question was the core philosophy behind Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. What started as a book in 2014 has now become a global empire, including two Netflix series and several follow-up books for adults and kids alike.
Of course, the concept of organizing one’s living space has been part of the collective conversation since long before Kondo’s KonMari Method.
“Many ancient Eastern scriptures suggest that by holding on to items from the past, we hold on to energy from the past that prevents us from living in the present and embracing the future we would like to attract,” according to Dr. Monica Vermani, a clinical psychologist in Toronto, Ontario, and the author of A Deeper Wellness: Conquering Stress, Mood, Anxiety, and Traumas.
Taking charge of the energy in our spaces (a major component of practicing feng shui) helps us live in the present, lead a more fulfilling life, and let go of things — and people — from our past that diminish our self-worth, Dr. Vermani tells DailyOM.
While that sounds lovely in practice, how do you make it happen? And if you’re feeling stuck in your overflowing space, where do you start?
Rest assured that you don’t need an entire book or TV series to teach you how to declutter your home; you just need some motivation and a handful of doable tidy-up techniques.
Read on for more about why decluttering is a boon to your ability to find things and to your mental health. Once you understand the “why” of cleaning, professional organizers will walk you through the “hows” to help you get it done.
The Mental Health Benefits of Cleaning House — and More Reasons to Declutter
Decluttering is a way to live with more intention, shifting from quantity to quality. Mindy Godding, a certified professional organizer and the co-founder of Abundance Organizing in Virginia, likes to call this “finding your true abundance.”
“We bring all of these things into our space to enrich our quality of life, until one day, we realize that all the stuff in our space is actually detracting from our quality of life,” Godding says. “The stuff is stressing us out, making us feel overwhelmed and causing conflict with ourselves or those we love.”
Instead of allowing these inanimate objects to have that much control over us, we can use cleaning and organizing as one way to switch from being the backseat driver to the actual driver, fully in control of our own metaphorical car.
People who are highly anxious or significantly depressed tend to live in cluttered spaces, Vermani says. When our moods are low or we’re feeling overwhelmed, sad, or anxious, we tend to feel more lethargic and find it challenging to keep up with daily life tasks, such as cleaning, organizing, and other household responsibilities.
Once you start keeping only the things you need and love, then your space will reflect that. The space becomes what you really want it to be.
“Our emotional symptoms often manifest in our environment,” says Vermani. “Often, when we’re anxious, frazzled, or suffering from burnout, the state of our home can provoke similar feelings of anxiety, chaos, disorganization, and feeling out of control. When we’re feeling in charge of our life and in control of our life tasks and responsibilities, we tend to be cleaner and more organized. Our space gives us feelings of calmness and being in control.”
So even though it might feel like climbing a mountain as you dig through that pile of junk mail, you can actually reframe this as a form of self-care. In moments of perceived chaos, ritualized behaviors like washing dishes or folding laundry can help us cope and feel more in control, according to a study in the journal Current Biology.
Especially for her patients with symptoms of anxiety or individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or hoarding conditions, Vermani confirms that cleaning is a way for them to gain control of their environments and, in turn, their lives.
Interested in learning more? Check out Clear Your Home, Clear Your Life
How to Clean Your Home When It Feels Overwhelming
Every person’s ability to initiate tasks and organize is different, and it’s easy to get lost in or off track with a task if it feels hard, says Michelle Hunt, a licensed mental health counselor and National Certified Counselor at Empower Your Mind Therapy in New York City.
“As an autistic individual with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], I struggle frequently with maintaining organization due to my own executive dysfunction,” Hunt tells DailyOM. “For years I struggled with maintaining organization, and through therapy, support from family and friends, and using task reminders and calendar apps, I have been able to keep to a relatively consistent schedule with maintaining my space. Now, I set aside one day a week to reorganize and take time to ensure my space is helping me with finding safety and peace.”
Deciding you’re going to clean house in the first place is the hardest part, says Amy Tokos, president of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a certified professional organizer and productivity consultant. When your whole space feels out of order, it can be tough to home in on one spot to get started.
“Many times, we keep things because we can’t decide if we can let them go, so we delay,” Tokos tells DailyOM. “Or we keep things out of guilt — it belonged to someone special, it was a gift from someone, it might fit me again, etc. Once you get past that and start keeping only the things you need and love, then your space will reflect that. The space becomes what you really want it to be.”
10 Tips to Declutter Your Home, According to Organizing Experts
Use these pro tips to master even the toughest mess.
1. Weed Out the Easy Items
Identify the conspicuous things that need to leave the space and get rid of them first. “The things that you need to think about can wait until after the obvious stuff is gone,” Tokos says, so eliminate any trash or recycling ASAP. Start in spaces that have low emotional significance, such as office supplies, toiletries, or expired medications, before diving into harder categories that might be more emotionally charged, like photos, memorabilia, your kid’s art and schoolwork, or clothes that no longer fit.
2. Then Make a Plan
Based on her experience with clients and conversations with loved ones, Godding believes that most people who struggle with decluttering projects try to take on far too much before getting clear on their priorities, goals, or resources that might be needed to get it done. This can rapidly become overwhelming or lead to easy distractions since the project lacks boundaries and time management becomes a burden.
Write down why you want to get organized and how you want to feel as a result — for example, “I want to declutter so my brain is free to focus on what’s really important: time with my family,” or “I am decluttering so I can more fully utilize the belongings that really add value to my life.” Then jot down which areas you want to tidy up, in order of importance.
3. Chip Away at It
As you create this area-focused list, remember to think small, Godding suggests. Break the project into smaller pieces and focus on just one section at a time. “I love ‘organizing sprints’ where you set a timer and get as much done as possible during that brief time window,” Godding says. Try to focus on one drawer or one cupboard at a time, Tokos adds, which seems less overwhelming than organizing the “whole kitchen.”
4. Get Your Mind Right
As you embark on the decluttering mission, keep in mind that your thoughts lead to your moods and your behaviors, Vermani tells DailyOM. “Recognize cognitive distortions and negative thoughts that you hold on to that hindered you from seeing cleaning as a positive thing and a priority in your life. If you harbor a sense of dread around cleaning and other mundane household tasks, you will tend to avoid it,” she says. Try to associate this process with how you’ll feel as a result, such as satisfied or in control. Or imagine yourself enjoying the space in its tidy and organized form.
5. Designate a Discard or Donate Area
Create a space for items to leave your home. This can be a “donate” basket, the trunk of your car, or a corner in a less frequently used room. It’s temporary, and can be emptied each week, Tokos says. “With a single space designated, everyone in your household can help with the process. You can also set goals of adding five items a day to the pile, so after 30 days you would have about 150 items identified to leave your [home],” Tokos adds.
6. Aim for “One in, One Out”
As long as things are entering the house, things need to be leaving the house, otherwise rooms will start overfilling again. “The key is to be super intentional about what comes into your spaces,” Tokos says. Ask the whole family to contribute to that “donate” basket or area; this makes it easy to continuously get unwanted things out or to get your home increasingly clean.
7. Build in Incentives
Admittedly, household tasks can get boring and repetitive, especially if you’re decluttering multiple areas or an entire home. Try “temptation bundling,” or pairing a “want to do” like listening to a podcast, audiobook, or music with a “need to do” (ahem, organizing). Or give yourself a fun reason to clear up your space by inviting guests to your home for a dinner party with enough time in between the invitation and the event to get your space into shape, Vermani says. A reward never hurts either. Plant a “carrot” to help you get to milestones along the way. For example, book a massage for completing the kitchen or visit your favorite bakery to savor a pastry after conquering the closet.
8. Get a Buddy
Asking for help with decluttering is no different from working with a trainer to assist you with reaching your fitness goals; it’s a very normal and popular option, Godding says. “Sometimes, just simply having someone in the room with you can dramatically change the decluttering process for the better. Even if that person is not involved in your process, their presence can anchor you and keep you on task, and infuse positive energy and fun into what might otherwise feel like a chore,” she continues.
If you find yourself continuing to feel overpowered by the process, and there is room in your budget, think about hiring an organizer or a cleaning person to help you get your space under control, Vermani recommends. “Or consider hiring a regular cleaning service — weekly or every other week — to help you stay organized and maintain a healthy environment,” she says. “This is especially if your schedule leaves you without the time or energy to manage day-to-day household tasks.”
9. Set a Schedule for the Future
After you complete each area on your to-clean list, create a plan of attack for keeping your space in tip-top shape. Godding advises clients to mark dates on their calendars for routine or seasonal decluttering sessions in advance, such as the first Sunday of every month. “That way you will get into a regular rhythm with decluttering so items don’t build up over time. This strategy allows you to manage your responsibilities rather than procrastinate and feel overwhelmed,” Vermani explains.
10. If You Slip Up, Don’t Sweat it
Have compassion for yourself along the way. A full life comes with good days and challenging days. “I often say that an impeccable home reflects an unlived life! If your clutter is the result of having fun and living life fully, imperfection is okay,” says Vermani. “You can always correct, clean up, declutter, and get your life on track later on.”
If the pressure of being “perfect” today feels formidable or anxiety-provoking, “listen to your body and have compassion for yourself on days you’re tired and unable to manage your ‘messy’ self,” she says. You can always try again another time.
The Bottom Line
A cluttered space can make us feel disorganized, chaotic, and out of control. On the flip side, a clean and organized environment removes distractions and helps us focus on what truly matters.
“Decluttering is essentially taking charge of the energy in our space,” Vermani concludes. “Our space is more than our material items, paperwork, and messes; it also includes people. It’s important for us to understand the importance of providing ourselves with what is in our highest and best interest in all areas of life.”
So start with the above organizing tips to declutter. And if you find it challenging to get or stay organized, don’t be afraid to call in reinforcements in the form of a friend, organizing expert, or mental health professional.
“Everyone learns and processes in their own time, and it’s not shameful to struggle or take time to learn what works for you,” Hunt says. “Problem solving is hard, and not everyone responds the same [way] as others. It can be disheartening to try on our own and feel like things are not working, and asking for help can be beneficial.”
