4 Reasons You Need to Clean Out Your Closet This Spring
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
Prefer to listen?
Spring is a season for new beginnings – as the flowers start blooming and the birds begin singing, our souls (and our homes) start longing for some renewal. I don’t know about you, but as soon as the weather starts warming up, I start to get the itch to throw open the windows, let in some fresh air, and clean as if my life depends on it.
And while that that may sound dramatic, there’s actually some truth to that!
Inside my signature program, the Elegant Balance Academy, I teach my students a 3-step framework to create a better-balanced life. And in step 2, “Eliminate”, we focus on the four things that are likely killing your work-life balance. One of those four balance killers? Clutter.
You’ve likely felt frustrated by the clutter in your home. But my guess is that you haven’t fully grasped how big a role clutter really plays in your pursuit of an elegantly balanced life.
So, here’s four reasons you need to clean out your closet this Spring. And if you stick around until the end, I’ll share an invitation to an event I’m hosting soon designed to hep you do just that!
1. Clutter is wasting your time.
According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40% of housework in the average home. How much time do you spend doing housework each week? Cutting out the clutter could cut that time almost in half. Which makes sense, without as much stuff – you wouldn’t have to clean it, maintain it etc….
2. Clutter is wasting your money.
When our homes are cluttered, we are more likely to purchase duplicate items because the lack of organization makes it hard to know what we have in our homes (or closets) and what we need to purchase. Americans collectively spend $2.7 billion dollars every year (two-thirds of us spending up to $50 yearly) replacing the items they can’t find. Who knows, the perfect dress for the wedding you just received an invitation to might be hanging in your closet – you’ve just forgotten it’s there!
3. Clutter is draining your energy.
When it comes to our energy (which we need if we're going to show up as our best selves in every role we play and to accomplish all the goals we've set for our lives), clutter can have a negative effect on that too.
In fact, people who sleep in cluttered rooms are more likely to have sleeping problems. Clutter can also impact our ability to make healthy choices - which would lead to increased levels of energy. For example, when in cluttered spaces, people are more likely to make poor eating choices. Those with extremely cluttered homes are 77% more likely to be overweight.
4. Clutter is distracting you from the important things.
Researchers from the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute have conducted studies showing that our brains can only focus on so much at one time and that we prefer order and organization. Constant visual distractions (i.e., clutter) drain our cognitive resources and reduce our ability to focus on the task at hand. They also found that clearing clutter from the workspace allowed participants to better focus, process information, and ultimately improve their productivity.
Another study found that household clutter is linked to procrastination tendencies. Obviously, procrastinating important tasks or responsibilities that we should be focused on is not helpful in stewarding our time well so that we can focus on what matters most to us.
If I haven’t already convinced you that your clutter is having a significant impact on your work-life balance, I’ll leave you with this eye-opening statistic: A study conducted by UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families found that women’s stress levels were directly proportional to the amount of stuff they had accumulated. In other words, more stuff = more stress.
Now, here’s the exciting part… on Monday, April 28th I’m kicking off a free 5-day Closet Cleanout Challenge. This challenge is back by popular demand! And I’ve designed it to help you start intentionally addressing your clutter. I would absolutely love to have you join us!
There really is something magical about bringing women together to work towards a common goal.
Over the 5 days of the challenge, I’ll help you gain clarity on your personal style and guide you through an effective process of clearing the clutter and organizing your closet so that you feel a sense of peace each morning when you open your closet.
You can join HERE. I can’t wait to see you inside!
Sharing this with you makes me smile – I love thinking back to the girl who felt confident and beautiful in that rainbow shirt and the girl who refused to attend her college classes in baggy t-shirts and Ugg boots and instead opted for a sequined top. Because despite what I think about those choices now, in each of those seasons I was intentionally using personal style to my advantage.