THE ORGANIZATION DIET: CUT THE CLUTTER & IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Clutter Can Mess With Your Health

  • Clutter affects stress and can trigger overeating, especially of sweet and fatty foods, which may in turn lead to weight gain.
  • If you consider your home a stressful environment, you’re more likely to feel depressed and have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone linked with poor health, than if you consider your home restful.
  • A cluttered home is likely to make you feel anxious, which in turn can impact your sleep quality, cause fatigue and increase cortisol.
  • Americans waste more than 9 million hours per day looking for lost items like keys, remote controls and money.

Decrease Clutter to Increase Health

Entryway

  • Createa dedicated space for your keys and phone
  • Use hooks or a closet for storing coats, shoes and shopping bags
  • Train yourself to not leave belongings piled by the door

Closet

  • Cut down your wardrobe by tossing or donating clothing that doesn’t fit or that you haven’t worn in 12 months
  • Group clothes by type (shirts, slacks, dresses) and color
  • Customize your closet shelving to add more storage

Living Room

  • Simplify your furniture, pillows and wall art/photographs for a cleaner look
  • Choose multipurpose furniture that offers hidden storage space
  • Use a basket or dedicated spot for remote controls, magazines, books

Kitchen

  • Less is more, so keep out only appliances you use every day
  • Dispose of clutter on the refrigerator (outdated papers, flyers)
  • Wash/rinse dishes as soon as you use them

Bedroom

  • Start your morning by making your bed daily
  • Hang up or put away clothes immediately after washing/wearing
  • Straighten up nightstand and dresser surfaces by clearing off stuff

Garage

  • Install hooks for hanging rakes, brooms and shovels on garage wall
  • Label bins with their contents; store infrequently used items on higher shelves
  • Hang tools on a pegboard, drawing outlines to show where each one fits