Cindy Baker
It seems like everybody is talking about decluttering these days. From cleaning out the garage to folding everything the Marie Kondo way, many of us have vowed to get more organized this year. And there is good reason: Clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, ability to focus, and even our weight!
Our brains like order, and constant visual reminders of how disorganized we are drain our cognitive resources and reduces our ability to focus. The visual distraction of clutter increases cognitive overload and can reduce our working memory. It stresses us out to see all the “stuff” everywhere.
It can also make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack or binge watch TV (including reality shows about other people decluttering their lives J).
Here are just a few of the bad things that can happen when you have too much clutter:
Slips and Falls
Living with lots of clutter puts you at risk of getting injured. I am horrible about bumping into furniture. I blame it on my progressive lenses glasses which mess up my peripheral vision. But when your floor is covered with boxes, heaps of clothing, or even too much furniture, it’s that much easier to trip. Shelves stuffed to the brim with books and knickknacks can also be a hazard if something falls off or a piece of overloaded furniture topples over.
Our physical environments significantly influence our thinking, emotions, and behavior, including our relationship with others. Cabinets bursting over and papers stacked around the house may seem harmless enough, but research shows that disorganization and clutter have a cumulative effect on our brains.
Try clearing a space and see if it lifts your mood!
Safety Issues
If you’ve gone overboard on papers and other flammable items, your home can end up being a fire hazard. Even if a fire starts in the most common of ways (like a stove burner catching the edge of your dish towel, for example), clutter makes it hard to get help. If your pathways and exits are blocked, you will have more trouble getting out in time and firefighters will have a harder time putting out the blaze.
Poor Working Memory
People with ADHD have a poorer “working memory,” and living in a cluttered home only makes this worse. Your brain is wired to be able to keep track of only a few details at once for a short period, so it can get overloaded when there’s too much going on.
Our brains like order, and constant visual reminders of how disorganized we are drain our cognitive resources and reduces our ability to focus. The visual distraction of clutter increases cognitive overload and can reduce our working memory. It stresses us out to see all the “stuff” everywhere.
In 2011, neuroscience researchers using FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), and other physiological measurements found that clearing clutter from the home and work environment resulted in a better ability to focus and process information, as well as increased productivity.
And what about our mental health?
Clutter can make us feel stressed, anxious, and depressed. Research from the U.S. in 2009, for instance, found the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered.
A chronically cluttered home environment can lead to a constant low-grade fight or flight response, taxing our resources designed for survival. This response can trigger physical and psychological changes that affect how we fight bugs and digest food, as well as leaving us at greater risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Mess Equals Stress
When everything is in order, you know exactly where you put your glasses and keys so you can grab them and go on with your day. That saves time and a whole lot of headaches. In one study, women who saw their homes as cluttered had high levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day, while those who described their homes as well-organized, restful spaces had lower levels.
Clutter might also have implications for our relationships with those around us. A 2016 U.S. study, for instance, found background clutter resulted in participants being less able to correctly interpret the emotional expressions on the faces of characters in a movie.
Up All Night
And surprisingly, it doesn’t go away when we finally go to bed. People who sleep in cluttered rooms are more likely to have sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep and being disturbed during the night.
People who have a hoarding disorder also seem more likely to have insomnia. Sleep is important for clear thinking and decision-making, so if you’re sleep deprived you are more likely to make questionable decisions (including decisions to get more stuff you really don’t need).
Linked to Weight Gain
You may have heard that clutter can make you fat. Can clutter really make us overweight? Yes! Multiple studies have found a link between clutter and poor eating choices.
Disorganized and messy environments led participants in one study to eat more snacks, eating twice as many cookies than participants in an organized kitchen environment. Other research has shown that being in a messy room will make you twice as likely to eat a chocolate bar than in a clean room. In fact, people with extremely cluttered homes are 77% more likely to be overweight. One study found that as hoarding got worse, so did BMI (body mass index) and binge-eating symptoms.
Tidy homes have been found to be a predictor of physical health. Participants whose houses are cleaner were more active and had better physical health, according to another study.
What is hoarding? According to the DSM-V (which is like the Bible for psychology), it is buying more and more things we think we need and not getting rid of anything. It’s an actual disorder. Hoarders compulsively acquire possessions on an ongoing basis and experience anxiety and mental anguish when they are thrown away.
Embarrassment and Isolation
Research also shows that cluttered home environments negatively influence the perception of our homes, and ultimately our satisfaction of life. The researchers say this is because we define “home” not just as a place to live, but as our overall life.
A neat, tidy house feels inviting, both for the people who live there and for guests who visit. But if you keep people out because you are embarrassed about your home, this can lead to loneliness. That could be one reason a hoarding disorder tends to overlap with depression and anxiety.
Too Much Stuff
Many people say that a messy desk means you are more creative, but there still needs to be order to feel our best. If your closets are bursting and your desk is topped with piles of disorganized papers, start today but organizing one small area and see how it feels.
It Doesn’t Get Easier
It doesn’t get easier. If you’re a bit scatterbrained because your space is scattered, don’t wait to straighten up. Research has shown that adults in their 50’s who have too many piles of stuff are more likely than younger folks to put off making decisions about what to get rid of. The study also found that those piles can make you less satisfied with your life.
Your Mind Wanders
It’s hard to focus on important tasks when several things compete for your attention. Researchers have found that being around disorganization makes it harder for your brain to focus. And this is especially true for those of us with ADHD.
Allergies
There’s a reason people often call knickknacks “dust collectors.” Too much stuff makes it harder to keep your space clean. I’m allergic to dust mites, so decluttering makes it easier to dust and vacuum and get my allergy symptoms under control.
Neatness and Generosity
A more organized environment may make you more caring toward others. In one study, volunteers who filled out surveys in a neat room were more likely to say they wanted to donate to a charity compared with those who were questioned in a messy room.
So, there is plenty of motivation to declutter. So many of my ADHD clients say they struggle with clutter and organization. In my coaching program I have a four-part series on clutter where I teach people how to get over the overwhelm, where and how to start, and how to maintain order once the house is decluttered. It has proven to be one of the most popular parts of my program!