Clutter, both mental and physical, can eat away our productivity and our time. Clutter demands your attention. Instead of focusing on a task at hand, you might find yourself weighed down with feelings of guilt about your home not looking the way it should be. There are also times in our lives when we get really burnt out and everything overwhelms us. We feel disorganized, we become forgetful, and we can't keep up with our work. We may miss deadlines, work longer hours, and lose important stuff. One way to deal with this is to take some time to declutter things in your life that are not working for you anymore.

To declutter is simply to get rid of those things which have a higher cost than their benefit. It doesn't necessarily mean the financial cost, but rather the cost in terms of the space they take up and the time they waste - to dust, move, and think about - just by existing in your life.

Before you get started with decluttering your mind, as well as other aspects of your life, including relationships and commitments, it is essential to understand why you are doing it. Whatever your drive is, knowing your why gives you a purpose to declutter your life. While the benefits vary depending on an individual's perspective, there are many exciting changes that happen in everyone's lives when they begin to declutter. Decluttering will help to reinforce the decisions you are making regarding the value of living with less.

When decluttering becomes part of your daily life, you experience the benefits and the feeling of freedom all the time. That's why a "decluttering routine" is so essential, not only for getting stuff out, but also for keeping more from coming in. Little things that can make a big difference, especially when used in combination. Choose a few to try out and see if they work for you.