Now that almost 40% of Americans are working from home, setting boundaries between work, play and rest can be difficult. As bedrooms transform into workspaces many are noticing physical and psychological clutter pile up. This disorganized environment is registered by our brain as a job to be completed and the longer we avoid tackling that job, the more clutter and guilt accumulates.
This guilt can translate into anxiety and impact our quality of sleep. Researchers have even found a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and high levels of clutter in one’s sleeping environment.
Decluttering your home for better sleep can be emotional, but once you’ve finished, you’ll feel a wave of relief and lift of anxiety. Get started with these 5 steps to decluttering your home from Zolo.
Create a checklist of all the rooms you want to approach and a timeline for when youll clear the clutter Having a map to refer back to is beneficial to help keep you on track and begin to lower guilt and anxiety
Let Go of Items You Have No Use For
Getting rid of items that you havent touched in months is one of the most important steps to decluttering your home Think minimal in terms of deciding on what stays and what goes For example if you only use two pillows but have five extra in storage consider donating them
Implement an Organizing Method
The best way to organize your clutter is by utilizing a decluttering method
Check out our five favorite methods below
The minimalist game On the first day of the month you get rid of one item On the second day of the month get rid of two items At the end of a 31 day month youll have gotten rid of a total of 496 items
The one a day method Its as easy as it sounds Get rid of one belonging a day
The four box method Distribute your clutter into four boxes labeled keep throw away donate and storage Strive to put as many belongings as possible into the donate box
The closet hanger method Turn all the hangers in your closet so that the hooks are pointing towards you Whenever you wear something put it back onto the hanger and face the hook away After three months get rid of anything on hooks that are still facing you
The KonMarie Method Start with your clothes books papers and miscellaneous items saving sentimental items for last If an item no longer sparks joy thank it for its service and get rid of it
Donate Throw Away or Gift Your Clutter
After using one of the methods above you will probably have boxes full of items that need to be disposed of moved to storage or donated Rather than letting those boxes sit in your home or car mark a day on your calendar dedicated to officially getting rid of the clutter You cant truly say youre done until the clutter is out of your life for good
Make a Sleep Schedule
Once you are ready to enjoy your clutter free home make a sleep schedule to ensure you are creating good sleeping habits Refrain from using electronic devices like phones tablets computers and TVs at least 30 minutes before going to bed Their blue light activates our brain in a way that can make it harder to sleep Also make sure you are striving for at least 7 8 hours of sleep every night
For more inspiration explore their infographic on how to declutter your home
People at risk of hoarding disorder may have serious complaints about sleep A new study suggests that those at risk of hoarding disorder may have serious complaints about sleep
Results show that participants at risk of hoarding disorder scored significantly higher on the Sleep Habits Survey SH and on three sub scales of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index PSQI including sleep latency sleep disturbances and daytime disturbances
Although decluttering may not be the immediate answer to your sleeping woes the Alaska Sleep Clinic can be a next
