Messy homes play a significant role in how we feel about ourselves, and our homes, yet clutter is rarely recognised as a significant contributor to our stress levels.

It can also lead to anxiousness and overwhelm and a general malaise for life and there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that clutter and chaotic homes can negatively impact mental well-being – particularly among women.

Why Does Mess = Stress?

1. Disorganisation and clutter have a cumulative effect on our brains. Our brains love order so the constant visual reminders of disorganisation drain our cognitive resources and, reduce our ability to focus.

2. Mess distracts us by drawing our attention away from what we should be focused on. Instead of focusing our attention on the task at hand, our mind is overly distracted by the mess that surrounds us. The visual distraction of clutter causes our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important.

3. When mess invades every square inch of our environment, it inhibits creativity and productivity, stifling our ability to think, brainstorm and problem solve.

4. Mess also makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally. It can increase our levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, which can cause anxiety and disrupt our sleep. It can also make us less productive, triggering copying and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk and watch TV shows.

5. The disorganisation of clutter makes us anxious because we’re never sure where to find things we need, or how long it’s going to take us to get though the pile to find it.

6. Mess manipulates our brain into thinking that work is never done. An untidy or messy environment will never give our mind any sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. It tricks us into thinking that we have not accomplished anything.

7. When we’re surrounded by the chaos of clutter, a myriad of negative emotions could inevitably rise to the surface more frequently. It may provoke anger, frustration or could lead to bouts of depression.

8. Clutter creates feelings of guilt and embarrassment. When unexpected visitors drop in, you might feel you should be more organised, or feel embarrassed at the mess in your environment.

9. There’s a part of our brain (anterior cingulate cortex and insula) that creates conflict whenever we try and let go of possessions that we’re emotionally connected to. The stronger the emotional connection to the item, the more difficult it will be to let go because it’s more painful.

While there are exceptions to every rule, such as hoarding, the good news is, unlike other more common sources of stress (e.g., our jobs, our relationships), clutter can be one the easiest life stressors to fix.

Declutter for Good!

1. Determine your why before you simplify! This crucial first step is a must for creating long-term change. You might be so over it; you just want to get rid of the stuff, and get started now and move on. Everyone will have a different reason for wanting to declutter. However, the important thing is that you understand what your why is and how it impacts your decisions. Your why is what creates sustainable change and sustains you through the process.

When the going gets tough, and it will get tough, you might start to feel overwhelmed, and wonder how you’ll stay focused and keep going. Your why, will motivate you to strive towards the finish line.

Your why help you set goals and uncover your motivation for decluttering. To do this, you’ll need to uncover your own why.

To uncover your why, ask yourself:

1. Who are the most important people in your life?

2. What experiences are most important to you?

3. What do you want to achieve in life, what do you want to see? What do you want others to see?

4. Imagine a perfect day. Describe your surroundings, your feelings, your attitude. What is in common with your current life?

5. What in your current life, doesn’t feature at all?

6. If you had a clutter free or simpler life, what positive things could you move towards?

7. What negative things could you move away from?

2. Plan a Declutter & Home Organisation Strategy. If clutter has invaded your home, planning your strategy will inspire motivation and increase confidence. Map out a plan room by room and allocate a designated time frame for each area. For example, your kitchen plan may look something like this:

3. Recruit Helpers! Don’t tackle the job alone – get the whole family involved, or ask friends for help!

4. Make it fun! Put on some of your fav tunes, (the more upbeat the better) pour a drink and go for it. The time will pass quicker and you’ll probably work faster!

5. Clear the Decks and Make Space. Clear a space in a room for all your unwanted objects, and put these items in six label boxes:

#1. Recycle where you can and avoid throwing it in the bin. The benefits of recycling are numerous, so recycle and declutter the environment too!

#2. Keep if it’s useful and meaningful. Is it worth keeping (money, energy, space, cleaning) in your home? Do you use it regularly? Have you used it in the last 6-months? If you answered no to one or more of those questions, send it on its merry way.

#3. Donate when it’s in good condition and could be useful for someone else.

#4. Store/unsure: if you don’t use these items very often, store them in a box in the garage, attic, or high up in a cupboard. Date the box, or put the date in your diary, and if you haven’t used these items in 6 months, they are probably not something you need.

#5. Regift items that are in good condition and give them to someone who could use them.

#6 Rubbish: Be selective and only add items to this box if there’s no repurposing or recycling alternative.

6. Remove the Clutter. While you’re motivated, keep the ball rolling and take care of the decluttered items right away. Take the rubbish to the bin and drop off donations and recycling items to the various drop points.

7. Remain Committed & Stay Focused. You’ve done the hard yards, and your home is clear, clean and organised. But then when the crazy, hectic of the everyday creeps back in, it’s easy to get distracted and fall into old patterns.

You’re tired after a long day at work, you’ve picked up the kids from school or day-care and you arrive home. Backpacks and work bags are thrown on the floor, stuff from the mailbox, along with the keys hits the table, lunchboxes are deposited in the sink, school hats and jackets are strewn across the furniture. While you’re grabbing the leash to walk the dog, toys are being pulled out of boxes, the TV’s on and kids are fighting.

Dinner, homework, bath and bed – ticked. You take a perfunctory glance at the mess…yawn and head straight for bed. It can wait until morning. By the end of the week, reflections of a clean, tidy and ordered home are a distant memory.

It actually takes practice and commitment to keep a clean, tidy home and it shouldn’t fall on one person’s shoulders. Being part of a family means everyone should pitch in.

8. Chore List - Who Does What and When. Make a list of regular chores and frequent activities that need to happen in the house. This might include the kids removing their lunch boxes and hanging their school backpacks on racks, meal planning and cooking, cleaning, washing the car, etc. Start a chore roster for each member of the family – this can include age-appropriate tasks for toddlers too.

9. Reward Yourself. Take a day or two off from doing housework and reward your efforts. We do our housework during the week. Our chore routine keeps us on schedule and we each know what we are required to do each day/week/month. On the weekend, we do the bare minimum. We clean up after meals, wash dishes, and put things away after we use them – but that’s it. Laundry, cleaning, tidying, meal planning, it’s all done during the week, so we get the weekend to relax, unwind and do what we want.

Our home is an energetic extension of ourselves with every aspect reflected somewhere in it. This is made even more exact by the stuff we keep. Every item is an expression or extension of our mental and emotional selves and this is why, decluttering your life and home can be such an uplifting process. The process might take a few days or even weeks, but it’s the quickest way to bring profound and positive change to your life.

If you’ve tried it all and still need help decluttering, the Ship Shape Shack team can help.