It is a simple fact of nature; entropy is at work in our environment. In our homes, it is most relevant to the tendency for tiny bits of disorganization to begin a hostile expansion across the desks, coffee tables, and sofas as well as our garage and yards. Clutter is one of the biggest causes of stress in our environment. We can make as many resolute stands against it and yet it seems to be constantly creeping back in.
Why should we bother then? If we are working against the 2nd law of thermodynamics -the Law of Disorder? Taking the time to declutter our living environment can significantly improve our lives in many ways besides just lowering the stress factors.
Following are a few finer features of a life free from clutter (do excuse the alliteration):
Visual clutter is one of the biggest stress factors of our lives and it can pile up. When things are tidy, clean and in order, our outlook is calming and more at ease. A house or living environment that is disorganized reflects back on our subconscious and fills our minds with other impertinent tasks and stressful thoughts which can be very depressing or frustrating.
Keeping a well-appointed living environment makes it much easier to deflect stressful thoughts and focus on what is important at the moment.
A large majority of the clutter that accumulates over the years in our houses attics, garages, etc. may be worth something to someone and is not doing us any good here. What is the most logical solution to this problem, eBay that junk! That exercise machine is redundant, the sewing machine you never have time for, those boxes of clothes you’ve grown out of; it all has to go to Craigslist.
Turning your junk into cold hard cash is not just a liberating experience but it can help pay for that new deck you’ve been saving for. Setting up a garage sale is another way to transform all that clutter into gold. Somebody needs what you have, so keep the products moving.
When our houses and lives are cluttered with yesterday’s knick-knacks, we often lack the mental capacity and initiative to begin forging ahead with present adventures and productive undertakings. We would really like to have “Crash and the Boys” over for jam sessions, but the garage is full of junk, and it would take forever to clear out; or maybe we think that our disorganization somehow makes us undeserving, sound familiar?
Keeping an organized environment opens many more possibilities and opportunities that disorganization cuts off for us. When we take the first step on a worthwhile journey, it is wise only to take with you what you need, the rest is dead weight.
The biggest thing we gain by keeping organized is time. Time saved is timed earned in this life. We are all on a countdown and to quote a wise woman, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Disorganization saps our time when we spend time repeatedly looking for the same thing, when we have to do sporadic overhaul on our homes to regain a semblance of order or when important things are swallowed into the morasses of entropy never to be seen again and then have to be replaced.
Keeping well organized is the only way to beat back this time-consuming black hole. It is far more effective to spend ten minutes of time invested in organization daily than trying to beat back the week’s clutter in one shot.
That’s a no-brainer. What is the first thing we notice after we put everything in its proper place? Without fail, the first thing we notice is how much space we have. Pulling out all the belongings that you have no need for and making more room for things that are currently important results helps to economize space and in turn time which saves money.
According to Chinese Feng Shui, the way the energy flows through the living space will greatly affect the happiness, prosperity and longevity of the residents. Environments filled with objects disrupt these flows, clear spaces encourage positive energy flows. By minimizing the amount of clutter in our homes, as well as our lives, we can feel, think and act with clarity and precision.