The Benefits of Decluttering: Less Stuff Equals Less Stress  

Is decluttering on your list of New Year’s resolutions? You’re not alone. There are myriad reasons for getting your home and belongings in order — for starters, it’s good for your mental health.

Among the benefits: Improved focus, familiarity and consistency, and a sense of order and control. “Our outer environments can act as a container for our emotional and psychic states,” according to Danielle Roesky, Psy.D.

“When there is order and structure to our outer environment, it can help us feel more able to manage some of the internal feeling states and worlds,” the doctor of psychology told Forbes Health.

On the flip side, a messy space can lead to stress, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.

We recently caught up with Sydney Coale, who heads up NEAT Method/Lakewood, a luxury organizing company promising to “take your home from chaotic to composed.” Specialties include whipping just about any area in your house — pantries to playrooms, kitchens to closets — into tip-top shape.

Business is brisk. The pandemic made people realize that if they were going to be at home, they needed help using it properly.

 “I found NEAT Method and thought what a cool company,” said Coale, who left a civil engineering job to become a franchisee. “After we got through not being able to go to people’s homes, organizing became trendy.”

Clients run the gamut, from “Type A to the max” to those to those who don’t have time and just want a functional system. It’s all about catering to individual needs and lifestyles, adds Coale.

Roeske recommends picking your favorite or most important room first. “Different rooms or parts of a home will have a different charge for a person,” she says. For some, the kitchen can be a place of great importance — it’s where meals are prepared and the family gathers. “Keeping the kitchen clean and organized may offer a stronger sense of order to those folks. For others, a clean bedroom can be a sanctuary, and can contribute to healthier sleeping habits, which is also linked to better mental health.”

Experts advise DIYers to start small. You want to build up your “decluttering muscle” as you go.

“It’s disheartening when you start something and can’t finish it. It feels worse than when you started,” according to Kate Pawlowski, a professional organizer and author of Love Your Home Again: Organize Your Space and Uncover the Home of Your Dreams.

“To be finished with a decluttering or organizing project, you have to allot time not just for sorting what is staying and what’s going, but for cleaning the space and then putting things back in an organized way.”

A few smaller projects to start with: under the kitchen or bathroom sinks, junk drawer, Tupperware and water bottles, or one section of clothing such as sweaters or t-shirts.

There are plenty of specialized products to help you.

NEAT Method has its own signature line; Amazon, IKEA, and the Container Store also feature a plethora of options.

“I came from a demanding I-need-it-yesterday job,” said Coale, who finds organizing people’s homes far more rewarding. “There is a huge sense of relief and gratitude when we finish a job.”