- Everybody says clutter is bad for you.
But is it really that bad?
It's not that bad, right?
Well, it turns out clutter is not just an annoyance,
but it actually is bad for you.
It's bad for your health, it's bad for your physical health,
especially your mental health.
If this is your first time here, my name is Robyn,
and I help overwhelmed people simplify their lives
through organization, productivity
and creating an environment where they can thrive.
Now, grab your tea and let's go.
(upbeat music)
At the end of this,
I'm going to tell you all about my decluttering
and motivating bootcamp that I'm hosting very soon.
So stay tuned until the very end,
because all that will help you get yourself on track.
So, why is clutter so bad?
Clutter is insidious, it sneaks up over time.
Have you ever spent a good chunk of your time decluttering?
You spend a weekend,
maybe even longer getting things organized,
shoving things in drawers, maybe a small box to donate,
and then you enjoy the space every time you walk by.
You enjoy reading a book, having a cup of tea
and maybe just having company in that space.
It is now a very enjoyable environment.
But slowly things start to creep in,
just a small piece of paper here,
a rapper sitting in the corner that you just walk by
and you barely even notice.
Over time though, more and more things
start taking up residence in your space.
This was once a briefly tidy space.
The problem though is,
sometimes we don't even notice that clutter creeping in.
And the thing is, it's even bad for your physical health.
Extreme clutter can actually harbor dust and mold
affecting people with allergies and asthma.
Even not so extreme clutter
can still collect dust and dander.
But the other physical impacts can even come from stress,
increased stress can impact your immune system,
the function of it and far greater things.
So what about the stress though and the mental effects?
Clutter can increase anxiety.
How would you feel if someone followed you around
and was constantly telling you all of the things
that you have to do?
(Robyn sighing)
What a day?
- What are you doing?
You can't sit down right now.
- Yeah, I think I can have a break.
- You're lazy and you don't deserve a break.
Oh, look at all of this mess.
- Reminding you that you failed to complete tasks yesterday,
the day before and the day before that,
or what about if you've had a long day at work,
and as soon as you walk through the door,
that same person is hounding you
with the things that you have overdue.
They tell you it's all been months and years
and you aren't even good enough to get things done,
you aren't getting it done.
Then you sit down and you put your feet up,
you're so tired,
you just need a few minutes of peace
before you start dinner.
But that same annoying person just comes up
and keeps going on and on
about the things that you have not done.
Well, friends, if you have clutter,
then that clutter is the person telling you
how you have failed.
But why, you ask?
Well, the thing is, clutter is a constant reminder
that there is work to be done.
Even if you aren't thinking specifically about the clutter,
it's there, it is looking at you,
and it's trying to make eye contact with you.
You are trying to avoid it. (laughs)
Have you ever heard of nagging unfinished tasks?
Yes, they're nuts.
(Robyn laughing sarcastically)
Okay, that's not a good joke,
but seriously, these tend to affect us mentally
and they can actually increase our stress.
These are things that over time are just bothering you.
You are subconsciously thinking about them,
you walk by them, you go in the garage,
you see a pile of things you want to tackle,
those are nuts and they are bothering you.
The best advice is just to pick one or two every day or two,
and just tackle them.
Even if you just do one every weekend,
you will eventually get there.
The other thing, clutter can cause some major distractions.
So many people are now working at home,
but even if you don't work at home,
you work out of the home,
the clutter can still be distracting.
It's that reminder that you are not getting your work done.
It's those darn nuts again!
It's hard to maintain focus
when you're constantly bombarded as well
with tasks that need to be done.
The thing is, you can also lose things in all of the mess,
which can result in a lot of time spent looking for things.
Now, my dear husband has ADHD, as do so many of my audience.
ADHD, anxiety, autism, many neuro-diversities.
Now, my husband and I have spent countless hours
looking for things that he has lost,
and occasionally things of mine that are lost,
although sometimes he's lost them,
like my keys, for example.
Now, this is frustrating for the both of us
to say the least.
The thing though is now we have a pretty good system,
but clutter can impact some relationships.
One person may feel that they are always picking up
after the other person.
The people with ADHD can feel like they are being harassed
by their spouse or other people that they live with.
The thing is though, people with ADHD can actually do okay
in a slightly more cluttered environment,
because many of them have accidentally developed a system
of leaving things out as a visual cue or reminder.
Now, this can work,
but it can also easily develop into clutter.
I definitely recommend only leaving a couple of things out.
Better yet, just put them away,
but near where you need them, at the point of performance,
which is the place where you do the thing.
For example, tea near the tea kettle.
Now, the thing is, people with ADHD,
a lot of people have studied them and feel like it could be
that a sign of a person
who doesn't mind being in a cluttered environment
is more creative, more intelligent, those sorts of things.
But the problem is, if they have to live with other people,
that is when it can be an issue.
Now, another thing that many people do,
in particular people ADHD and anxiety, is just to walk away.
They understandably get overwhelmed
and they just walk away from the problem.
Now, this avoidance, of course, doesn't help things
and it really just makes things worse.
Now, the clutter continues to accumulate
and the stress doesn't get better,
and self-esteem can suffer.
And really, people with ADHD and other neuro-diversities
don't need any more help in having low self-esteem,
they need help in realizing they are wonderful
and that they should have good self-esteem.
Like it or not, those messy closets,
jam-packed dressers and boxes under the stairs
are affecting you.
So what can you do?
Well, the thing is, you can spend some time decluttering.
Now, I recommend just spending 30 minutes per day.
And if you can't do that much, just do 15.
It can take a little bit of time.
Now, we slowly developed our house over a couple of years,
but it will happen.
It's just like plucking your eyebrows,
you will get there eventually.
And spend five to 15 minutes at the end of the day
putting things back where they belong.
Once you have decluttered, and if you keep on track
with putting things away at the end of the day,
you will be thrilled at how clean your house is.
Now, one of the best things you can do though,
is to join my decluttering motivation bootcamp.
I will be going live each day
giving you tips to motivate yourself to de-clutter.
So, you can head over to minimalisthome.ca/bootcamp,
and I will see you there,
and there are also details in the description below.
Now, check out this video here
to see if clutter affects you more than others.
Thank you so much for watching
and I will see you in the next video.
Bye.
(soft music)