Clutter is a Thief

We’re on day 3 of my 32 Days of Declutter challenge. If you are still on the fence about taking on the challenge, or aren’t feeling super-motivated yet, I hope today’s post will help! I’m sharing the reason that investing the time in decluttering is totally worth it. It’s not about having a clean house (thought that’s certainly an added benefit). It’s not about achieving some definition of minimalism (I’d definitely classify myself as more of a maximalist).

Here the thing: Clutter is a thief.

Clutter steals your time and energy

It’s true—clutter steals your time and energy. Time and energy you could spend doing something else. Something you love, but rarely get to do. Whether you are desperate to sit down and lose yourself in the pages of a novel, are longing to pick up your long-unused paintbrushes, or have a board of DIY Pinterest projects you wish you had time to tackle, getting rid of your clutter will help.

You might be thinking—how in the world will decluttering my house give me back time to do the things I want to do? It sounds like a lot of work! And yes, there is some upfront work involved, but in the long run, decluttering will give you more time.

Ways Clutter Steals Your Time

• Lost keys: there goes five minutes of your morning, along with an elevated your stress level because now you are running late.
• A closet stuffed full of clothes you don’t wear: an extra few minutes of searching every time you get dressed (with a side of frustration because you can’t find what you really want to wear).
• Those supplies you know you bought for your kid’s science fair project, but have absolutely no idea where you stashed them: twenty minutes lost to a frantic search through the house only to come up empty-handed (which now means an extra trip to the store which costs—you guessed it—more time and money!).
• Teetering stacks of stuff because you don’t know where to put it: lingering guilt every time you see the stack, plus the time and effort it takes to stack it back up when, inevitably, someone knocks it over.
• Misplaced library books: precious minutes scouring the bookshelves and looking under the beds, plus potential fines.

What has clutter has stolen from you?

How much time do you spend looking for things you can’t find, being weighed down by knowing you need to declutter, or attempting to clean around the clutter?

What would you do with more time in your day? Are there books you want to read, hobbies you want to try, projects you want to start?

Clutter is a thief. Stop letting it steal your precious time. When you get your clutter under control, you’ll have time to spend on things you want to do.

If you are just learning about the challenge, it’s not too late to start. We’re on day three, but you can easily catch up on day one and day two! Follow along on Instagram for the daily decluttering prompts. 

Read more in my decluttering series:

I Spent Good Money On That · What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff ·