The usual culprits of clutter tend to be stacks of books, papers that float around or clothes that pile up in your closet.
Spring break is over, and finals week is quickly approaching. Decluttering some items for the second half of the semester may help students significantly. In this case, to declutter means to remove unnecessary items from both your personal and academic life.
Let’s face it, from time to time, people become unorganized. As humans tend to collect items and over time let those items accumulate. The buildup of things are unavoidable, which is why decluttering is important. Decluttering your surroundings allows for better mental health and productivity. The chaos of clutter restricts a person’s ability to think and limits his or her ability to process information correctly. Decluttering gives people a clearer mind to comprehend their subject material.
People tend to slack off during the weekends and at certain periods throughout the semester, such as midterms. Usually, clutter accumulates due to distractions during those stressful time periods. That is the time when your brain is trying to multitask and cannot keep up with your everyday activities.
“I tend to clutter when I am stressed out,” Jordanne Stephenson, a sophomore at Plattsburgh State majoring in communication science disorders, said. “When my grades are slipping, I feel like I have taken on too much, and my work starts to back up on me, giving me a cluttered mind,” she said.
When the weekend comes around, the majority of students choose to push their work off until Sunday. They see the weekend as a time for relaxation.
There are other reasons as to why people clutter their things. People tend to clutter because of lack of energy. People who do not get enough sleep, eat the right foods or do not move around throughout the day, do not have the energy to clean, according to unclutter.com, a website focused on home and office organization. The website also said people can be afraid of change. The future can be uncertain, and holding on things from the past might be a way to remember the glorious times.
“After I have dealt with my classes, on weekends I just want to relax,” Renee Sanders, a sophomore at PSUC majoring in human development and family relations and minoring in psychology, said. “So, I push everything to the side.”
People try to stay organized in many different types of ways. Some people start to clear their work areas immediately once the clutter gets too big or schedule a day to clean. Decluttering your technological devices is also very good for your productivity. Getting rid of files and programs on your computer, you do not need is another way to declutter, according to lifehack.com, a website with tips to help you in your everyday life. Not only are you getting rid of unnecessary clutter, but you are also saving space on your computer.
“I declutter by taking a step back from my work and by planning out how to break my work down into smaller chunks,” Stephenson said.
Cutting big tasks into smaller, simpler ones is extremely helpful. Looking at a big task can be daunting.
Breaking the task into 15-minute steps makes cleaning less intimidating and time-consuming.
An article from health.usnews.com, a website that distributes information about personal health, states: “A clutter-free space also contributes to your well-being because you will subconsciously feel like you are providing yourself with a higher level of self-care.”
The benefits of decluttering is absolute. Decluttering allows people to concentrate more, sleep a lot better, boost a grumpy mood which makes goals become clearer according to blurtitout.org, a mental health website.
In college, it can be hard to keep track of the cleanliness of your environment with other responsibilities. To avoid buildup of miscellaneous objects remember to declutter periodically throughout the semester.
Email Breyana Anderson at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
