3635: 6 Powerful Benefits of Decluttering Your Home and Life by Jennifer Burger of Simply Fiercely

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[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00] Es ist ein Minimalist Monday edition von Optimal Living Daily. Six Powerful Benefits von Decluttering Your Home und Life. By Jennifer Berger von SimplyFiercely.com. Und ich bin Justin Malek. Happy Monday und willkommen zu der OLD Podcast, die OLD Podcast, Optimal Living Daily, wo ich read to you, wie ein big, ongoing audiobook von vielen anderen authors. Und wir werden gleich zu es, als wir optimieren. Das ist, was ich ein paar Worte.

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_00] Die Kraft brauchen, die Verkaufel von Decluttering Your Home und Life. By Jennifer Berger von SimplyFiercely.com. A decade ago, I lived in a constant state of exhaustion. My stress levels were through the roof, and I felt trapped because I had too much stuff and too many responsibilities. Change felt impossible until I learned about decluttering and my eyes opened to a powerful tool for reclaiming my home and life. If you can relate, then I invite you to learn more

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_00] about the amazing benefits of decluttering, along with tips that have helped hundreds create clutter-free homes. There's never been a better time for a fresh start. What are the benefits of decluttering? When you have less clutter, there are practical benefits, financial benefits, and even mental health benefits. Here are the six that have the biggest impact on my daily life. Number one, a decluttered home is easier to clean.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00] This is an obvious benefit of decluttering. When there's less stuff in your home, it's easier to take care of. Everything from vacuuming, to dusting, to laundry, a clean home is easier to maintain when there is less stuff to deal with. And for me, it's more than just a convenience. I have asthma and a severe allergy to dust mites, which makes maintaining a healthy environment essential. Plus, I have two kids, a small business to run, and it keeps me busy.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00] I'd rather spend any extra time with my family or relaxing instead of constantly tidying up or shifting piles of excess stuff. Number two, decluttering helps you focus on what matters. When your home and life are cluttered, you're more likely to feel overwhelmed. More stuff equals more demands on your attention, and it's difficult to focus because you feel pulled in all directions. Everywhere you look, from your junk drawer to your messy closet,

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00] your physical clutter is a reminder of things that need to get done. You might be so used to it that you don't realize the impact your physical environment has on your mind. But a study at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute has shown, quote, our brains like order and that constant visual reminders of disorganization drain our cognitive resources and reduce our ability to focus, end quote. In layman's terms, this is how that drain on my cognitive resources

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_00] felt for me. I'd stay busy and always be doing things, but at the end of the day, I was never satisfied. I'd go to sleep wondering why there was never enough time for the things that matter. Things like real conversations with my husband, taking care of myself, or just finding a few minutes for a good book. I thought the problem was a lack of time, but in reality, I needed more focus and less distraction. If I wasn't constantly tripping over stuff and putting out proverbial fires,

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00] I would have had the mental space needed to recognize and act on my priorities. It's a subtle difference, but with fewer things, I had a more relaxed mind and suddenly, there was always time for the important things. Number three, you save time and money. When you declutter, you spend less time caring, cleaning, and searching for your stuff. Let's be honest, when you own a lot, you spend a lot of time trying to find missing things.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_00] You also save money. You're not accidentally buying duplicates because you either can't find or remember what you already own, and you're not spending money on storage either. But it's more than that. I also found that going through the decluttering process had a profound effect on the way I thought about new stuff. Dealing with a lot of clutter opens your eyes to how much waste we have in our homes and how much money we've spent on what are ultimately unwanted items. In other words, the act of decluttering

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00] taught me how to stop buying stuff I don't really need, and it's how I went from shopaholic to minimalist in just a few years. Number four, less stuff leads to less stress. When you look around your home and it's cluttered, what are you really seeing? Odds are, it's a lot of stuff that you don't know what to do with. There are random cords that you might need someday, although you're not sure what for, and there's an old dress with the tags still attached, and you're certain

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00] it'll be worth something if you ever get around to selling it. Sound familiar? If so, whether you realize it or not, these unmade decisions are weighing you down. Sure, they might be small, but think about how much unnecessary stuff you own. You can hide it in the back of your closet, but it's still in the back of your mind and, undoubtedly, causing you stress. Decluttering is a tool that creates peace of mind by not only creating physical space, but also mental space.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00] Number five, decluttering creates confidence. One of the surprising decluttering benefits is that it leads to more self-confidence. Here's the thing, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we tend to buy, keep, and do things because of the stories we tell ourselves. Your old college textbooks might make you feel intelligent, a designer handbag might make you feel successful, and going to happy hour every Friday night might make you feel well-liked.

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00] These stories can make it difficult to let go. After all, what will happen when we don't have stuff to prove our self-worth? It's scary, but I've learned that when you find the courage to declutter your life, you stop being defined by what you own and what you do. You're forced to present your true self to the world, and this creates self-confidence. You feel empowered to live freely and authentically without hiding behind a mask of clutter. I actually recorded a podcast episode about this,

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00] breaking down the relationship between my minimalist wardrobe and self-acceptance. But in summary, letting go of the past and the material things that were a big part of that led to a sense of accomplishment, and I was able to step forward with my head held high. And number six, decluttering teaches you to make intentional choices. Finally, decluttering teaches you to think intentionally about how you make choices. Think about the process. You go through everything you own

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_00] and systematically decide what's worth keeping. You'll probably ask yourself decluttering questions like, why do I own this? How is this adding value to my life? Why should I keep this? Do this over and over, and with time, it becomes a habit. You start applying this mindset to all areas of your life, everything from your schedule to your spending, and even your relationships. You ask yourself, what's adding value and what's not? You'll start to see

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00] everything with new eyes, and this is when the magic starts to happen. Can decluttering change your life? Hopefully this list has convinced you that decluttering can absolutely change your life. The simple act of letting go is about so much more than just getting rid of old stuff. You're also letting go of fears, expectations, and insecurities. You're creating freedom, learning new ways of thinking, and essentially reclaiming all areas of your life.

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_00] You just listened to the post titled Six Powerful Benefits of Decluttering Your Home and Life by Jennifer Berger of SimplyFiercely.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. If you're having trouble finding the perfect gift for the father figures in our lives, check out Cozy Earth. They've completely changed how I think about comfort at home. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are temperature-regulating and wick away heat and moisture, helping you sleep several degrees cooler. It's like turning your bedroom

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[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_00] being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash old. Go to shopify.com slash OLD. Shopify.com slash old. Thank you to Jennifer. It's always good to get these reminders about why decluttering can be so powerful. We talk a lot about the how-to on Minimalist Mondays, but digging into the why and the benefits

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_00] is definitely just as important. I think number two, decluttering helps you focus on what matters and number four, less stuff leads to less stress go together pretty well. She mentioned that Princeton study about how our brains like order and how disorganization drains our ability to focus. I've definitely felt that and talked about it before here on this show. I had a place in my home that had become a bit of a dumping ground for a lot of those unmade decisions she talked about,

[00:11:51] [SPEAKER_00] some old tech gadgets I wasn't sure what to do with, a stack of papers I kept meaning to sort, things I thought I might need someday. It wasn't in my main workspace so I could kind of ignore it, but I think it was still creating that low-level hum of stress in the background like she described. But getting rid of that kind of stuff always feels amazing. So hopefully this one can inspire us to minimize a bit more today and this week. But with that, have a great rest of your day and start to your week. Thank you for listening

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00] every day and optimizing your life along with me. And I'll see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.