The Benefits of Decluttering

Often times when we talk about decluttering we discuss "removing things", "shedding items", or "letting go" but there is so much more to it that than that!  When we shed what is no longer serving us we are letting go in one sense but we are also making room for more - more time, energy, space, money... the list goes on and on.  In fact, there are so many benefits to decluttering, that I thought that I would share just a few of them with you today.

Decluttering our physical possessions naturally bleeds into other areas of our life... 

One of the side-effects that I've noticed about de-cluttering is that the more you commit to it, the more you are committing to a life of health and wellness.  Think about it...  When we de-clutter our homes we are actively removing the things that we no longer use and or benefit us.  We are letting go of the junk.  The same goes for when we detoxify or de-clutter our diets, we are taking a look at what we are putting in our bodies and how it then affects us.  Read more.

More time...

The next step was removing the T.V. from the living room all together and putting it in another room for several weeks.  It sat there unplugged while we spent time determining if this was something that was worth it.  This was our turning point.  We found that over the following weeks we ate our dining room table more often, had more meaningful conversations, read more, and were more apt to go outside.  Together we felt more present and aware of how we could use our home.  Read more.

The opportunity to determine and live out our values...

When going through each room we would look at the stuff in it and then look to our list of our family's values to see if the items aligned with them.  Having this clear sense of purpose allowed the decluttering process to be fairly simple and stress free.  By letting go of those items that no longer served us, we were able to make room in our home for what mattered most to us.  Read more.

More Space...

In our Making Room for Peace decluttering sessions we send our client's a list of questions to reflect on and answer before we even meet and get to work.  Questions like: "how do you currently use this space?  How would you like to use this space?  How do you want to feel in this space?"  We also encourage our clients to imagine how making positive changes such as decluttering and creating a beautiful home would affect their mood, health and energy levels.  These are powerful questions and ones that need to be asked before getting started.  Read more.

The ability to give to causes that you care about...

Before beginning my journey of simple living, the fact that I never had money free to give bothered me.  I said I cared about the poor and about helping the homeless but I wasn't doing anything about it.  It's taken a lot of humbling and changing of habits but over the past few years I've been able to make changes and "sacrifices" in my life in order to give, and you guys... it's the best!  No dress or dinners out can replace the joy that there is in giving.

Freedom to travel and experience new things...

"We both believe that you only get one life, and we didn’t want to spend the best years of our life (when we have our health, energy, youth) in an office not moving our bodies or experiencing our world. Seas Life reminds us to seize opportunities, take the jump, trust the net will appear! It sets a tone for all of our decision making to be bold and courageous out there!"  Read more.

More time to volunteer and give back to the community...

By letting go of possessions, thoughts and behaviors that no longer serve us we are able to devote more of our time, finances and energy to things that matter.  The act of volunteering is something that in my opinion, should be done on a regular basis because it forces us to look outside of ourselves and to pour our love into others.  It pushes us outside of our comfort zones and into sometimes unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory.  It's also extremely rewarding.  Read more.

Living life debt-free...

"We had to downsize and sell all of our furniture and a lot of our things. Instead of blowing our tax return we used it to pay off debt and put money in our savings. We sit down together every week, set a budget and communicate with each other before we spend money on anything or go shopping. If one of us NEEDS something we talk about it first and plan it out instead of walking in blindly and buying whatever we want like we use to."  Read more.

Financial freedom...

I’ve totally been there. It's hard when they say ‘no’. But we need to hear it, don’t we? We want to purchase it now justifying that we are saving money in the long run - just what the marketing and sales ad want us to believe. I’m a sucker for good marketing. But sometimes what’s best for the family and finances is a ‘no’ or a ‘wait’.  In the waiting, I often I find my ‘obsession’ with the ‘thing’ fizzles out and I don’t want it anymore. This is why it is important to dialogue with our spouse and listen to their opinion.  Read more.