Few feelings are better than coming home after a long day at work to a clean house. Of course, it always takes effort and time to get a clean house in the first place, which is the hardest part. Some people are minimalists who love cleaning and naturally do so all the time.
Others tend to hoard items and have to carve out time in their day and put in extra energy to get a cleaning job done. For some, cleaning is enjoyable and relaxing. For others, not so much—it tends to feel more like a chore than anything. Organization can and does impact one’s mental health, even if the two don’t seem to correlate much.
Think about it like this: the more cluttered your house, the more cluttered your mind. If you find yourself feeling disorganized and mentally drained, seek help through resources such as MyTherapist.
Learning about how organization can improve your mental health will also be an encouragement to you to keep your space clean and chaos-free.
More Focus
Having to sit and stare at the pile of unfinished work on the floor can be detrimental to your concentration. It’s hard to focus on the task at hand when you’re consumed with the stress of everything else you need to get done that day. Too much stress can cause anxiety and can make your body and mind shut down. When that happens, it’s hard to get anything done. Organization can help you sort tasks by what’s most important and will allow you to throw away the items you no longer need. Goodbye chaos, hello focus.
Calmer State of Mind
Walking into a chaotic home or office can put anyone on edge. The more the organizing is put off, the worse the problem seems to get and the more stress you have. Clutter affects your mind in more ways than you might realize. It can make your depression and anxiety worse and even contribute to strain in your relationships. Inviting friends and family over becomes something stressful instead of something enjoyable because all you can think about is the state of your space. Feeling constantly overwhelmed isn’t good for anyone’s well-being. People who are organized have an overall better state of mind and tend to be physically healthier too.
Better Productivity
Have you ever spent hours looking for a document or something else important? Imagine knowing that everything had its place and not having to look at all. When you’re disorganized, valuable time is wasted looking for things instead of staying focused on the task at hand. Your energy and time are much more useful when you know exactly where to find things. Being organized increases your productivity, whether at work or at home.
Barriers to Organization
If you’re not already someone who stays organized, ask yourself why this may be. Do you work long hours and just don’t feel you have the time? Do you tend to accumulate a lot of items you don’t actually need? Maybe you just don’t know how to organize because you’re just used to a cluttered home or office. Getting organized can feel like a big task, but it doesn’t have to be. Once you determine why you have a cluttered space, you can work on figuring out how to fix it. The problem may feel overwhelming, but rest assured it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.
How to Get Organized
How to organize will depend on what you’re organizing. Is it your home that needs attention? An office space? Both? First, throw out anything that needs to be trashed. If you’re unsure whether something should be thrown out, ask yourself if you’ve used it recently (within the last 6 months) and be honest with yourself if you’ll ever use it again.
Some items are perfect for donating. Old office supplies, appliances, and furniture can take up lots of room that could be used for better purposes. Plus, someone else could really benefit from your donation and you can get a write-off on your taxes. If something is valuable, you could take the extra time to try and sell it. Sometimes it’s not worth the hassle though, and you’re better off just donating it. Be detailed when you’re first starting to organize. Clean behind items and wipe down shelves.
The more detailed you are now, the less work you’ll have to do to keep it clean down the road.
How to Stay Organized
The best way to stay organized is to do it consistently by putting in a little effort every day. This may look like shredding old documents right when they’re no longer needed or having a designated box in your house for donations.
It might mean putting things back where you got them from right away or making sure your desk is clear by the end of each day. If staying organized becomes a part of your daily routine, it won’t feel like a big chore and will also take you less time overall. It seems like this huge task, which is why so many people put it off, but it really isn’t as bad as you might think. Jump right into it and see for yourself.
Becoming and staying organized can be a learning curve. Not everyone is naturally clean and tidy, and that’s okay. The important thing is putting in the effort and taking small steps each day to keep your space open and welcoming. When your home or office space is organized, your mental and physical health will naturally improve. You’ll have less stress, more time on your hands, and will find yourself sleeping better.
It’ll be easier to stay focused throughout the day, and your productivity will increase. There are all sorts of benefits to staying organized and the experience is often addictive. Once you know the feeling of having a clean space, you won’t want to have it any other way.
