The Trouble with Clutter
Whatever's causing your personal clutter challenge, here are 7 things you need to know:
1. Clutter Creates Stress
- You feel frustrated, exhausted and overwhelmed – there's so much to do, and you don't know where to start.
- You feel confused, you can't think straight; you forget things, and it's too hard to make decisions.
- You feel stuck and hopeless – all this clutter is in the way of the projects you really want to do and the life you really want to live.
2. Living with Clutter Wastes Your Time
Your life is hectic and far too busy. You seem to be always late and behind your deadlines, no matter how hard you run to catch up.
Your work takes longer – it's hard to focus with all those other projects competing for your attention.
Everything takes longer when you're thwarted at every turn by not being able to find things.
That means you have less free time, and the cycle continues.
3. Living with Clutter Wastes Your Money
- You waste money buying things again, because it takes too long to find the ones you already have.
- You lose your prompt payment discounts, and end up paying overdue fees, fines, and interest.
- Your possessions get damaged or broken when the piles tumble and crash.
4. Clutter Affects Your Health
The stress caused by clutter can make your shoulders hunch, your neck tense up, and your head ache.
If there's too much to clean around, we tend not to, so dust, dirt, mould and cobwebs accumulate – and then come flies, cockroaches and mice. And it smells musty.
Clutter can be dangerous. Clambering around teetering piles that could fall and land on you… slipping over on papers… getting bruised from bumping into furniture that's too close together. It can be a fire hazard, too.
5. Clutter Affects Your Appearance
- Living with clutter can make you look older and tired. Your posture droops, and your face gets screwed up with tension.
- Your grooming suffers.
- You look as if you've been dragged through a bush backwards.You can't find your nail-clippers or a matching pair of socks. Your clothes are all wrinkly from where you dropped them in a pile on the floor.
6. Clutter Affects Your Relationships
The clutter stresses everyone out – you're irritable – they're grumpy – and relationships are strained.
Your social life suffers because you're too embarrassed to invite people to your house.
You don't go out because you feel you should stay home and sort it out.
7. Living with Clutter Affects You Emotionally
- Living with clutter saps your energy. You may have stopped trying because it all seems too hard.
- Everywhere you look, you feel surrounded by evidence of your incompetence.
- Your self-esteem suffers – you feel unimportant, unworthy, and inadequate.
- You wonder, "If I can't even get this sorted out, how will I ever achieve my goals?"
- And "Do I even deserve to achieve my goals?"
You deserve more from life than this!
You're important.
Your life is important.
You deserve to feel relaxed and in control.
You are capable of setting and achieving goals.
You deserve to achieve your goals.
You deserve to live the life you've always dreamed of.
It's time to stop thinking about it – and take action!