Life is messy! And not in a cute, catchy put it on a T-shirt way. It is literally, dishes in the kitchen, clothes piled on the armchair messy, and I am tired of it!
Minimalism, is a mindset that has recently become very popular. A simple internet search gives you tons of results and lots of potential benefits of minimalism and decluttering your home. Our family has been on the journey towards an intentionally simple life for the past two years. During that time, we have learned a lot about ourselves, our needs, and our values.
If you have been considering ditching the lifestyle of excess with a simpler way of living but are still on the fence, this list of how decluttering improves your life may be the thing you need to start decluttering today.
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Why declutter?
As a society, we have taken to putting high worth on our things. Striving to live with less is counter to this material centered way of thinking. Most of us live lives of collecting the latest items, whether it be the latest cell phone, a new car, or a new appliance. Being free of the need to accumulate things brings real peace. Consider becoming a minimalist and enjoy the benefits it brings.
Minimalism places an emphasis on family, friends, relationship, experiences, and personal growth. Accumulating possessions beyond what is necessary is avoided.
It’s not intentional but in many instances we give our possessions emotional value and place importance to attaining things. I would go as far as to say that we gain joy, contentment, and “peace” from our stuff accumulation.
Now I am not speaking of literally living a life with nothing, because the bible says that God wants us to live a full life, but we must know who is our source, and not hold something to such a high standard that we can’t give it up or give it away if He asks us to.
What happens when you declutter your life?
Often the state of our homes and the frequency of our impulse buying is directly related to the state of our mental or emotional health. When we are battling with a decision, or stressing about a situation, the clutter in our mind and heart manifests itself as clutter in our homes. Our physical environment is a manifestation of my internal environment.
This physical manifestation then tends to spread to an actual outside physical manifestation, and well, the cycle circles round and round.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, taking the time to intentionally cut away the clutter that we see physically, allows us to be more introspective about our needs. This simple external practice can be translated internally.
Benefits of minimalism
There are many ways that minimalism benefits yours life. The rewards of decluttering range from psychological to physical. Below I will list some of the top benefits of minimalism.
1. Freedom
The accumulation of material possessions is a common unhealthy desire in our society. Owning the best and the most expensive has become a competition with the popularity of social media. Limiting the amount of things we need to have or to do, frees up our time, our money, and our mind to focus on things that have true meaning.
2. Lower cost of living
One of the benefits to living a minimalist lifestyle is the ability to lower your cost of living. When you choose to live with intentional simplicity you can make choices that minimize the monetary footprint of your family. That may look like a smaller house or less expensive car. Your household budget can drop significantly by adopting a minimalist lifestyle. You can have more money to spend on trips and activities that result in lifelong memories.
3. Minimalism is better for the environment
One of the rewards of decluttering and living a minimalist lifestyle is the impact that it has on the environment. When we have less things and consume less things we utilize fewer resources. This leaves more for others and generates less waste.
4. More time available for activities that have meaning
Changing your mindset and choosing minimalism means you will spend less time running around shopping, binging television shows, or maintaining possessions. This ultimately frees up time for you to do things that get you closer to your dreams and purpose. You can finally start that business you always dreamed of or take the classes towards a degree or even simply spend more time in nature.
5. Opportunities to be creative
Another benefit of minimalism is the ability to imagine and indulge in some of your creative hobbies. Decluttering and clearing out the space in your home that meaningless things took up room allows you the space and time to use your imagination and get creative.
6. Less to clean and maintain
As a busy working mom who has no time, anything that helps me not have to clean every spare minute is a win for me. With less items in the home I am able to spend more time doing things with my littles and expanding their imagination. Plus, I do not like cleaning so this is a double win for me.
7. Lowered Stress levels
One of the psychological benefits of minimalism and decluttering involves reduction of stress and anxiety. Because external clutter can be a manifestation of your mental experience, decluttering can give you the space to remove those cluttered barriers in your mind. Once a room is decluttered the mind can relax, and your family can experience increased productivity and less stress.
8. Better Sleep
Having a cluttered space causes stress, and stress makes it much harder to get a full night sleep, or to eat well or have desire to exercise. One of the major health benefits of decluttering is it minimizes this cause of stress and anxiety in the home. When the stress no longer exists, it becomes much easier to sleep.
9. Weight loss
Less stress can also lead to less stress eating and potential easier weight management. Decluttering for weight loss may sound like a bit of a stretch, but hear me out! The secondary effect of decluttering is that it can put you in a healthier mindset. Decluttering and organizing your home and keeping things in place may make it easier for you to keep schedules. Studies show that those who have a definite plan in place are more likely to maintain the fitness plan!
10. Productive morning routine
One of the rewards of decluttering that has been most transformative to me has been the benefits of calmer morning routines. Before we started intentionally adding minimalist techniques to our life, typical mornings were extremely chaotic. Now with less material stuff and more organization we can easily find all the things that used to make our mornings terrors.
11. Sense of Serving others
When we hold on to things on the earth, are hands are full and we can not receive the things that God desires to give to us. Decluttering helps to give us a picture of how much we were holding on to that may not have been for us. An additional spiritual benefit that you get from decluttering comes in the form of the altruistic and service joy you receive from giving away your possessions.
12. The things you do own have purpose and are better quality
You’ll find that by limiting the number of shoes, books, tools, and other things you own, you’ll acquire items of higher quality. More isn’t better. Better is better. There’s something satisfying about owning and using a high-quality item.
Minimalist declutter checklist
There are many benefits to decluttering your home! Now is the perfect time for you to create a vision of living in a clutter-free and stress-free environment. Create simple systems and routines for the entire family to follow and soon everyone will experience the benefits of decluttering.
A few simple changes you can take today to introduce minimalism into your life include:
- Removing clutter from the floor
- Remove anything extra from countertops, tables, and shelves
- Evaluate your wardrobe
- Make a list of the optional activities in your life and cancel them
Minimalism doesn’t require you to live under a tarp in the woods. You can still reap all of the benefits of minimalism and decluttering by simply removing excess and meaningless things from your life.
Ready to clear the clutter? Check out our resource library for decluttering checklist and a 7 Day Quick Start Minimalism Toolkit to help you get started!
It’s SOOO hard to declutter with two under 5 running around! And I feel so guilty about giving away their toys. I’m still working though that but my husband is on board with minimalism, so…wish us luck!