Why does downsizing your household goods increase satisfaction?

The year is coming to an end and in our culture this usually also means a collective need to finalise ongoing projects and tasks. It's more comfortable to start the new year in an orderly fashion, but for many, cutting down the to-do list feels utopian. There is a lot to do, and the festive season blows up the workload even more. If you're feeling this way about work or home, try cutting back. In this article, I'll tell you why downsizing your household goods will increase your happiness.

The benefits of decluttering will be visible in your everyday life, after both meta-work and material pruning. If you don't seem to have any time for pruning, but could squeeze half an hour out of something, then optimise: In this article, you'll find a list of categories that you can declutter right now in the middle of winter to make a more effective impact on your mood and the atmosphere in your home. The table of contents will take you directly to the section of the article that interests you.

Why is your home suddenly full of stuff and piles?

It takes no miracles to create domestic disorder in the midst of the abundance of modern society. We can get almost everything we need from online stores, delivered to our homes 24/7, on top of the abundance we already have.

For others, a new job or the increased caring responsibilities of ones elderly parents can put a strain on everyday life. Many of my clients have found that the home stopped working when a second or third child came into the family. Moments of life changes are opportune moments to overwhelm the home.

More people in the same squares takes up more space, provided that the amount of goods is more or less constant with each person. In addition, the number of things to do and maintenance activities increases, and a new family member can tie up one adult almost entirely for a short period of time. Baby time is often followed by work, and suddenly there is simply not enough time to do all the chores.

Let me remind you again that the clutter and clutter of your home says nothing about you as a person. It doesn't make anyone bad and it's not shameful, even though it often feels that way. It's just a current situation that you can sort your way out of.

The science of chaos at home

Procrastination explains some of the amount and clutter in our homes. It is a healthy reaction to a challenging situation, and it's how we protect ourselves. However, it takes us deeper into the mire if we fail to address it constructively.

The findings of researchers who have studied procrastination confirm my own experience: if an adult has challenges in maintaining daily routines and systematically doing chores, the result is an increase in the amount of junk in the home and, in the worst case, a decrease in overall satisfaction with life.

And now note, an adult can have management challenges as the overall workload becomes too great for almost anyone in relation to the resources available. For example, in a toddler family, there are too few adults in relation to the number of people to be cared for or the intensity of the caring activities. I can still vividly remember how I could not take my sick baby off my lap for a moment. Those that have experienced periods like that know what these challenges can be like, and it is not possible to work in such conditions to keep things and stuff not piling up.

However, in the light of science, it would be important to find solutions to this situation, as prolonged periods of clutter in the home affect both our mental health and our physical health, in addition to our social relationships.

Back to the procrastination study: dissatisfaction could be seen to increase with ageing, which could be due to an increased amount of goods in the absence or inadequacy of means and routines.

Five proven good reasons to start reducing the amount of stuff in your home

In my previous articles, I have discussed the impact of the amount of clutter on our health. This is a real and growing problem when we consider how stress and anxiety affect our health and our daily lives.

In the light of Business science, we are living in a strange era of abundance that only began less than 100 years ago. This is also linked to our biology, as we are a species of hunter-gatherers who find it hard to resist the necessities that come our way. We do not have the skills to fight marketing or abundance very well, but we have to consciously learn them now.

Before the winter season's decluttering tips, let's look back at the end of the year to see what's keeping things this way, what can be done, and why decluttering your household makes you happier. At the end of the article, you'll find a list of categories of items that, even with a quick decluttering, will get you on top of things.

An overwhelmed home needs action

So why don't people clear out and reorganise their homes as soon as the home stops working? There are many reasons.

It took me several years to realise that the reason for the clutter in my daily life was too much stuff in my home. I also often hear people say that they don't have too much stuff. However, on closer inspection, there is almost always more to be removed.

So one explanation is that we are insidiously used to having lots of stuff. I myself felt that I had to have something in order to be content and live a comfortable life. Some of my purchases I "earned".

Now I think, I didn't know there was another option. World-famous minimalist Joshua Becker once experienced an awakening from material hypnosis himself when his neighbour asked him: 'Did you know you don't have to own all this? After hearing the question, Joshua began to wonder why he was spending his time managing all his possessions when he would rather spend time with his children.

Cumulatively deepening spiral

Researchers have therefore foundthat the burden of litter increases with age, which was explained by the cumulative effect of the accumulation of goods and implements.

My own experience is also that suddenly there was too much of everything, when in fact the contribution of individual items to the total amount of goods in the home had, over time, only just reached a critical point.

Questioning the situation and seeing an alternative

I finally woke up to the challenges of my own home with the help of KonMari. I decluttered our home several times with KonMari method, until I could breathe again. Giving up became easier round by round. I found I didn't need most of my belongings, especially those that reminded me of the past or brought negative echoes.

I also noticed how much energy is released when I let go of unnecessary things. So for me, it helped when I realised I was questioning what I was used to and saw a change in the way I felt.

Fear can prevent even the most desirable change

When we downsize our homes, we have to make a big list of decisions, some of which feel final. For some, decluttering is difficult because the fear of making a mistake or wrong decision makes the process complicated.

In this case, you should use a junk capsule, maybe a reusable bag, where you put the unsure items for a predetermined period of time to wait before final recycling. You can pick up a designated item from this capsule. This method also helps children who are just practising decluttering. When the capsule time is up, the bag is taken to the recycling without being opened.

More is more - Why does our mind guide us to hoard and make it difficult to declutter?

Decision fatigue strikes everyone at some point

One big stumbling block to pruning is the decision fatigue that comes with making decisions. It is therefore best to do the decluttering when you are rested, well-fed and in good spirits. So when you are cranky and hungry, already exhausted, is not the time to start organising. Then you can pick up the rubbish, but don't do anything else. Rest.

Depending on their life situation, most people can declutter on several hours when rested, if their other life circumstances allow. After that, it's time to rest again. Practise at a schedule and amount that suits you. Preferably keep the effort smaller and continue as you feel up to it.

Take into account other caring responsibilities and family expectations. Someone else will have to look after the children's needs if you focus on pruning. Have this discussion before the decluttering work begins, and everyone's expectations will then be sized to support the decluttering work.

So size your decluttering project with an eye to both vitality and other maintenance needs. Work on small items as appropriate, and even organise one box at a time if your life situation doesn't allow more. One sock drawer a day is better than years of doing nothing.

Procrastination takes away all enthusiasm

Procrastination is one of the main stumbling blocks to organising your home. Most people suffer from procrastination from time to time, but some suffer significantly.

There are two types of procrastination: behavioural, seeking substitute activities and indecisive procrastination.

For both of these, it helps a great deal if you can find a qualifying partner. This is called body doubling. This also contributes to the effectiveness of working with a professional organiser, as we facilitate the decluttering work by carrying a large part of the client's mental load.

However, the decision to give up is always the customer's responsibility, which makes the decluttering process very exhausting at times. We can't outsource emotions either, so the emotional burden on the client is always a unique addition to their work. However, the professional organiser can help by articulating the process.

Would knowing the impact of a load of belongings help or add to the pain?

Personally, I want to know what causes something and what science can do to help. So I find it comforting to know that procrastination and decision fatigue affect us all. So it is pointless to blame oneself and others.

But we can learn to be agile despite these constraints.

People who are emotional about their belongings can benefit significantly from learning emotional skills, as often belongings express unspoken needs and are in the home to express these abstract states of being. We just don't really understand this.

Such items might include gifts, old clothes or sports equipment that are not used. Understanding and articulating your own needs makes it easier to let go.

Some of the things we save are things we feel bad about, but for some reason we don't want to let go. This could be, for example, clothes that are too small. For these, you might wonder whether it would still be more comfortable to peek into your wardrobe without a constant reminder of what you are not and would like to be, or whether you could appreciate this moment of yourself more by giving them up?

Some of the necessities we save are seasonal needs or slowly accumulating necessities that, on closer inspection, we don't need anyway. We even wonder why we have them.

In this article, I'll tip you off to a few of these categories of winter essentials that are a particular pain for families with children. You can put some or all of them to work in your everyday life at a time that suits you. Remember, even a small spurt of a few minutes can make a big difference!

During the winter season, check out the following categories of goods:

• Christmas decorations
• Dry goods
• Gifts
• Medicines
• Toys and
• Hobby equipment

1. Review and decluttering of decorations

Now, if ever, is the perfect time to prune your Christmas seasonal decorations. Take a look at the decorations that didn't make the cut.

Perhaps you could give them up? Discard the broken ones and recycle the good ones right away, because now they could be of use to someone else.

If giving up is tough, could you cut back on the ones you haven't used in three years? If you have decorations with lots of sentimental memories, make a dedicated space for them: you can store as many of your cherished decorations as you have space for.

2. Check the dates on infrequently used dry goods

During the Christmas period, more people are cooking than usual. This is the perfect time to clear out your cupboards: at least check your spices, flour and preserves.

Can you use the contents of your cupboards to cook for the festive season? If you find dated ones, might it be time to move on?

If you don't want to throw food in the bin, commit to cooking with it in the coming weeks, for example by setting yourself an alarm on your calendar. If you can't make use of them, get rid of the products, even if the wastefulness stings. If you haven't used them in several years, you're unlikely to ever use them.

If you find good supplies that you are unlikely to use yourself, take them to a food bank. You can find the details of your local food distribution in the search engine.

3. Check out the gift wraps

Christmas gift wrapping is the perfect time to go through your gift items. Do you find outright rubbish or out-of-date supplies? Has time run out on something?

If you find supplies that are in good condition but you don't use them, try to take them for immediate recycling or report them to the local recycling platform. Money is tight for many people now, so all kinds of packaging materials are also needed.

4. Check the dates of your medicines and go to the pharmacy

Autumn is the season to blow up the medicine cabinet of a family with children! The end of the year is the perfect time to go through your medicines.

Unfortunately, the next season of sickness will start in the spring, and if the medicine cabinet is already stapling, things won't get any easier in the spring.

All products that are out of date and certainly unnecessary medicines will be eliminated. Bottles, medicine bottles and creams can be delivered to your nearest pharmacy for safe recycling. Cardboard packaging can be put in the cardboard collection.

5. Get rid of the toys

The best time to prune toys is just before birthdays or Christmas, when children know they will be getting more toys.

So now is the time to make room in your cupboards and shelves to make room in advance for the toys that arrive. You can also prune right after Christmas, which can make it easier for some people to get rid of old toys than in advance.

Make use of the capsule if children are not yet used to decluttering. Choose the most adorable toys to use, store the rest or declutter some for recycling.

6. Get rid of hobby equipment

It's easy to prune your winter hobby equipment when you see which ones are still useful to you.

Those in poor condition are waste and those in good condition can be listed to your local sales group, a recycling platform or taken to a recycling centre.

Many people are now looking for skis and ice skates to replace those that have become obsolete. Winter gear for babies and young children is also easy to sell now.

Ruuhkaton thanks all its customers, newsletter subscribers, followers and blog readers for the past year. It is a great honour to be part of your journey towards a calmer home.

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Happy New Year!