A Surprising Form of Self-Care

If I asked you to think about self-care, what comes to mind? Getting a massage? Reading your favorite book? Scheduling a hair appointment? Doing yoga?

What if I told you there was one self-care habit you might not have considered or discovered yet that could help you:

• boost mental clarity and focus

• reduce the number of decisions you need to make daily

• provide extraordinary peace of mind

• increase the level of quality sleep you receive each night

• significantly lighten your stress load

• accelerate productivity

• make healthier decisions with ease

• boost your self-esteem

• cultivate healthier relationships with those around you

• simplify your home cleaning schedule and process

• save you $$$

That's a mountain of life-changing benefits! Ready to guess what this habit is?

Decluttering!

My goal as a professional organizer is to help you discover and experience these benefits yourself through the Perfect Piece process. In fact, after guiding clients through a decluttering session, I frequently hear, "I can just feel the anxiety melt away."

Your belongings—whether cluttered in plain site or behind closed doors—have a way of weighing on you physically, emotionally, and mentally. When you have an overabundance of things, anxiety, frustration, and overwhelm are always near and spilling over into every area of your life.

I'd love to dive deeper into studies and research on decluttering for self-care, but I know you're busy. So, I'll drop a couple resources directly below for your reading pleasure, should you be interested in exploring more. If not, please feel free to skip right ahead!

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Discover More About Decluttering and Self-Care

1. How Delcluttering Your Space Could Make You Healthier and Happier (via Mayo Clinic)

2. 4 Scientific Reasons Decluttering Leads to a Better Life (via Life Hack)

3. Benefits of Decluttering: Powerful Reasons to Declutter Your Home and Life (via Balance Through Simplicity)

4. Mental Health Benefits of Decluttering (via WebMD)

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Before I share a simple task you can do right now to start the decluttering process, it's important to define what clutter and decluttering are.

Clutter is:

A large amount of things that are not arranged in a neat or orderly way; a crowded or disordered collection of things.

Decluttering, then, is making thoughtful decisions about your belongings so that you pare down to what is needed, helpful, and loved.

Decluttering and organizing isn't necessarily about finding room for everything you already own; it's about keeping the right things in a way that is orderly, functional, easy to find, and even beautiful. The 3 criteria above—needed, helpful, and loved—help you make decisions faster as you determine which category each item falls under. If anything doesn't fit these categories, it's considered a prime candidate for donation or trash.

The benefits of decluttering truly outweigh the work involved, but I understand that at this point you might be thinking:

• "It seems like a daunting task."

• "I don't have enough time."

• "I don't have the energy."

• "It sounds too overwhelming."

• "It doesn't sound fun or enjoyable."

How, then, do you make changes in the face of all these obstacles? This is where I come in! As a professional organizer, I've streamlined the process to make it super simple and applicable for any area of your home. I know exactly what to do when, and how long you can expect the process to take—relieving an enormous amount of time and sense of overwhelm on your end. I also set guidelines in place for you, so you'll be fully set up for enjoying long-term success in your new decluttered space.

In the next few weeks I'll share lots of tips, advice, and information around setting yourself up for success, guidelines, scheduling, staying motivated, what to do when you're feeling stuck, and so much more, but here's one super simple takeaway you can implement right now: make a list of the areas both big and small that need decluttering. This is an easy and essential first step that will help make all other subsequent steps go much smoother.

Are you ready to hear the best part? Once you take the time to declutter, your space becomes a haven for you and your family that requires less maintenance and more time to relax, have fun, or do whatever your heart delights in.

If taking the next step with professional guidance is something you're ready for, call for a free in-home consultation to see if Perfect Piece is the perfect fit for you!