Benefits Of Living With Less - Organised Pretty Home

Live Better With Less Stuff

1. Your Home Will Look Organised

Have you ever watched a home renovation show? If you are like me, the best part of the show is always the big reveal at the end. There is something very satisfying about seeing a ugly space transformed into something beautiful!

Side note: It’s even more satisfying in real life when you get to be part of that process. See our living room makeover.

You know what we miss though with the reality show? We miss seeing the amount of stuff that is packed up and taken away at the beginning of the show. Do you notice that it doesn’t get returned to the home for the big reveal?

Simply by having less things in the space the room looks better. The good news is that the same is true for our homes as well.

Your rooms will look tidier and cleaner when they have less things in them!

When I finally came to my senses, I saw that my room still wasn’t tidy even though it was full of magazine racks, bookshelves, drawer dividers, and other storage units of every kind… Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem had been solved. But sooner or later the storage units are full, the room once again overflows with things… This is why tidying must start with discarding.
Marie Kondo

I use to think that the mess in my house came from the play of small kids, and from working on creative projects. Most of all that I just didn’t know how to properly organise stuff.

Yes, those things do contribute to mess! Kids and creative projects can make a lot of mess! However, you know what I’ve found has been the biggest contributor?

Simply having too much stuff for the space I live in!

Action Task:

Choose a small space in your home that is looking or feeling really disorganised. Choose to have less things on display or stored in that space. Discard, donate or put away some of things you have there and observe how much of a difference it makes!

less things in your home makes a space look instantly organised

2. You Will Spend Less Time Tidying Up

Time is precious to us, after all it is a limited resource. The great thing is when you have less things in your home, tidying up takes hardly any time at all.

If you were to tidy up your house right now, how long would it take you? Would it take 5 minutes?

Well that’s how long Dana White, from A Slob Comes Clean, recommends.

If 5 minutes feels like an impossible task to put away stuff from the day, maybe your home contains too many things!

Really, how many of us want to spend more time in our homes putting things in order! I know I don’t!

Parents of toddlers who like to pull all the contents of a room out in 5 minutes or less, are not included in this. T

Personally, after a 2 year journey of decluttering the contents of my home, I am pretty much at this point. The other day, it gladdened my heart to realise how little time it took for the kids and I to pack away their cubby building and other toys that were all over the living room.

have less things in your home makes tidying quick and easy

Your Action Task:

Grab a timer, your kids and/or just yourself and do a 5 minutes pick up of the house. Discard any rubbish and return items to where they belong. Do it the next day and the next… make it a daily habit!

3. Feel More Inspired And Hopeful

Good things come out of living with less things!

When your home and world are in disarray, you can’t relax. It takes more energy to be in chaos because you have to keep track of all the junk. Eventually exhaustion sets in. When you honestly look at clutter and ask if it’s necessary in your life, buried emotions come to the surface…. Toss what’s unnecessary so that you can finally relax, and your remaining possessions will have a clear place to land.
Brooks Palmer, Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What’s Holding You Back

Clutter makes it difficult for you to relax, both physically and mentally. It signals to your brain that your work is never done.

Clutter is also visually distracting, it can increase your anxiety, cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment, and reduce your ability to problem solve and get things done.

READ: What Does Your Clutter Mean

When we consciously choose what to keep and what to discard from our homes, our well being improves. That is a good thing!

Your Action Task:

Think about where you go to relax in your home. Consider what you want to have in that space to make it relaxing and comfortable and what you don’t want. Now go start making that a reality!

More Helpful Ideas For Decluttering