What Clutter is Really Costing You

Your desk is a mirror that reflects your inner mind.

— Shunmyo Masuno, The Art of Simple Living

Now that the weather is starting to warm up again, I find myself wanting to clean up my apartment.

As someone who is creative and explores a bunch of different hobbies like music, drawing, painting, and photography, my space is often cluttered with musical instruments, camera gear, and art supplies.

I'm sure you can relate to this situation.

It's fun having all this stuff around to play with but at the same time, it's hard to put things away and still keep them accessible in some way (even if only to our minds).

Minimal vs. Simple

I do believe it's necessary though to have some sort of organization to keep a peaceful mind and allow space to think creatively.

Not only do we need negative space in our art to please our eyes, but we also need it in our lives and environment to please our mind.

A cluttered space isn’t just physical.

It's mental weight.

It can weigh down your creativity, your clarity, and your peace. De-cluttering today could change the way you think tomorrow.

There's many benefits to keeping a clean space:

• You feel lighter and more clear

• You focus better

• You feel happy

• You realize the clutter affected you more than you thought

• You feel less stressed

• You create physical and mental space

Having more things doesn't equal more happiness.

100 new items won't make you 100 times happier. Maybe a little happier.. for a while. But the feeling fades and it's all old news.

Now you need more new stuff to feel "happy" again and the cycle continues.

That's why I think it's better to avoid this altogether and work on discarding items you don't use or haven't used in forever.

You don't have to be extreme about it. You don't have to be a minimalist who only owns 20 items.

Instead of thinking minimal, think simple. Simplicity isn't about less, it’s about making space for what matters most.

I like to think of it in terms of essentialism:

• What is essential?

• What brings meaning to your life?

• What is useful to you?

• What do you care about?

It's not necessarily about being super minimal. It's just about having mostly only what you need. Things that enhance your life or creativity, not weigh you down and clutter your house (and your mind).

How to Start with De-cluttering

This could feel overwhelming if you find your space is currently cluttered or messy.

Don't worry. Take a breath. And focus only on one small section of your room.

Go section by section and do it on different days if you have to. Take it slow.

Start small.

One drawer.

One shelf.

One corner.

That's usually what I do.

One day I'll do the living room, next the kitchen, and next my bed room. All on different days.

Here's a good tip to remember:

Not every space has a to be clutter-free.

Create areas or drawers or cabinets which are created to be an intentional chaos zone. Like a junk drawer.

Usually it's better if those areas are out of sight, if you can help it.

But if you know that place will always be chaotic, then just leave it as a chaotic zone. No sense in trying to make it something it shouldn't be.

As for the rest of your space, organize it the best you can, discard unessential items, and make it beautiful.

Create zones for focus, inspiration, chaos, and rest. Be intentional with your space and the zones you create for your rooms.

Clean your space. Clean your mind. Your future self will thank you.

Don't aim for perfection.

Aim for peace.

Take this newsletter as a small reminder.

I'll leave you with another quote from the book "The Art of Simple Living" by Shunmyo Masuno:

In Zen temples, monks do cleaning every morning and every evening. We clean with all our heart, though not because the temple is dirty. The purpose is not only to make the temple sparkle, but to also polish our minds through the act of cleaning.

Look around your room and ask yourself:

"Is there anything here out of place?"

"Is there any item here that I actually don't need?"

Take some time to clean up your space and see how it makes you feel.

It's a good habit to get into. Happy cleaning and creating!

I hope you found this useful.

Thanks for reading.

— Brandon Schaefer