When we all went into self-isolation back in late March, there was a lot of fodder taking the centre stage of social media (along with banana bread) about how this global pandemic was the perfect opportunity to declutter our homes. While this kind of talk, given the circumstances felt mildly icky to me, I won't deny being the first person to want to declutter at all times, and this has admittedly become two-fold now that I am striving to keep things cleaner than ever.

As we navigate this new world which involves a whole lot of staying in your home as much as possible, we increasingly want our homes to be as functional as possible for easy, stress-free living. A huge portion of making that a reality, is by minimising-to-maximise. Marie Kondo has been saying it forever, and the Scandinavians always have their finger on the pulse, but if you're not yet convinced, below are some of the perks.

Boosted efficiency

A huge pro in my books. The less stuff around my house that can serve as a distraction, the better. Reducing clutter can free up both space and time to do the things you want to be doing, and by making your space more integrated, you'll have a much easier time finding certain things once stored properly.

Reducing clutter can additionally save you time when it comes to cleaning, again leaving space for the things that you actually want to spend time doing. By cutting back the amount of stuff you have in your home, it will be much easier to wipe down, vacuum up, and dust away when you don't have 50 knick-knacks to move/treat with spray n' wipe before you get to dusting off a side table.

It reduces stress

When you are living amongst clutter, it can be hard to stay focused and calm, likely because you are always looking for something or noticing how another thing is collecting dust somewhere (this is my train of thought, at least). By minimising the number of objects in your space, it can help to clear the mind. Organising the things you leave in your space will provide a sense of ease and comfort knowing that everything is where you expect it to be.

Cleaning as a whole is a great way to relieve stress, tension and energy, especially when done to music you enjoy. Is there nothing more euphoric than the feeling of sitting on the couch after you've bested your space feeling physically spent but mentally invigorated? I think not.

It enforces mental wellbeing

If you are someone with the capacity to keep your space fresh and tidy, it can do wonders for mental wellbeing. Simply making the bed can function as a small, dopamine-induced self-esteem booster, so imagine how decluttering your entire home feels. For some, this task seems unrealistic and unachievable from a mental bandwidth perspective and a time perspective. Start small, with achievable tasks like making the bed, or tidying a surface and clearing some empty cups or product containers, and work up to a wardrobe overhaul. You don't have to do it all at once and should feel proud and excited about the small wins. Keeping things relatively minimal can also be useful for the times when you don't feel like getting out of bed, and save you from feeling like tidying is just another overwhelming thing to be done.