Why even bother decluttering?

It's about more than making your place look nice.

Last week while trying to wedge something onto the top shelf of our entryway closet I dislodged a brick of compressed potting soil, which hit me square on the forehead. I saw stars, endured a headache for the rest of the day, and then I sported a bruise for several days afterwards. It was inglorious. And it felt like the universe was telling me it was time to declutter—again.

The experience of actually getting hurt by my clutter made me realize that I have written a lot about how to declutter and I have sung the praises of the effects of decluttering, but I haven’t broken down why to declutter directly.

Decluttering isn’t just about making your house look more tidy (although that is nice!). It’s not about making your house “presentable” to guests. Nor is it about any outside pressure you may feel. Clearing your home of its excess is about making everyday life flow more smoothly, and that in turn, makes every day just a little better. Clutter gets in the way of living. In fact, this would be a good definition of what clutter is: Things that are in the way.

My example of getting smacked on the head is an extreme example, but with less stored in that spot I would have easily placed the thing I was trying to store and gone on with my day. Likewise, if your coat closet rod is so full of coats you can barely find the one you need you’re experiencing low-level discomfort day in and day out.

If you have ever had trouble finding something (your glasses, say), your home may be too cluttered. If you’ve ever bought something you already owned, that’s a direct result of excess. If cleaning your home feels like a herculean task, it might be because there’s a bunch of stuff in the way. If the folded laundry never makes it back into the dressers or closets, it might be because they’re too full. If you find it hard to focus, your superfluous belongings could be the culprit there too.

Removing the excess from our homes removes friction from our lives. It’s not something you will notice acutely, but a clutter-free life just runs more smoothly. With less in the way, you can find things with ease and put them away without a thought. For example, in my own apartment, my coffee mug shelf was overflowing. Everything technically fit, but every time I unload the dishwasher, I have to wiggle every mug just so. Picking a couple mugs to donate smoothed that daily annoying moment right out.

I often say that my home “feels” better when I’ve taken the time to really tidy up. That’s partly about this lack of friction and partly just my personal bias for a neat-looking space, but there’s also some science behind that “feeling.” In a 2008 study, researchers found that it is hard to focus in a visually untidy space because the additional visual stimuli distract us. Paring back our belongings might support us in all the tasks we need to do at home, whether that’s work, parenting, or a hobby.

So, if you’re lacking the motivation for another round of pruning your posessions or if decluttering has ever seemed like something you “have to do” for someone else, I’d encourage you to think about how it might improve your own life in small ways. They might add up to something big.

Read on for five ideas to kickstart your decluttering (I’ve tried them all!). I hope they’ll help you find more ease and grace in your home.