4 Reasons To Clean Your Room

During your youth, it’s likely at some point you were expected to clean your room.  Usually we do it because somebody told us to do so, and not because we wanted to (with some exceptions).  Through these experiences, many of us have associated tidying our rooms as a chore that’s done just for the sake of cleaning.

When it comes to tidying our rooms there needs to be more profound reasons for doing so.  In previous posts I’ve mentioned the importance of finding the “why” in everything we do.  The same can be applied when cleaning.  Below are four reasons why we should tidy our rooms (aside from your room looking more presentable).

Reason #1 – Save Money

Imagine you wake up one day and go to brush your teeth.  You notice you’re running out of toothpaste.  Let’s assume your bathroom is a mess and you don’t have a good understanding of how your spare toiletries are organized.  You spend 30 seconds looking for toothpaste and then make the decision to stock up on more toothpaste later that day.  Fast forward a week later when you’ve finally made the decision to clean your bathroom.  After sorting through everything you find five unopened tubes of toothpaste.  See where I’m going with this?

When you thoroughly organize your personal belongings, you get a clear picture of everything you own.  Once you know how much of everything you own, you never make the mistake of buying something that you already have.  Simple in theory but many of us (including myself) struggle with this.

Reason #2 – Create a Happy Place

Now I want you to imagine you’ve had a miserable day.  Perhaps work or school wasn’t great.  Somebody said something you didn’t appreciate.  Worst of all you were out with friends only to see your favorite team blow it in the final minutes.  You head home feeling sorry for yourself, only to be greeted by a room in total disarray.

After a trying day we deserve to return to a calming environment.  When you’ve had a messy day, the last thing you need is a messy room.  When your room is in order, you’ve created an environment that allows you recover and mentally prepare to attack tomorrow with more resolve.

Reason #3 – Reconnect With Your Past

Once you decide to clean your room you’ll likely stumble upon items that spark past memories or experiences.  Perhaps you find old letters, pictures, or certificates.  By reconnecting with old items, we relive our past.  From a firsthand experience by cleaning my own room, I found items that sparked memories I’d forgotten about for over a decade.

Finding old items may inspire you to reconnect with an old friend.  It may inspire you to recommit to an old passion or hobby.  Perhaps that old golf club in the back of your closet reminded you of the days when you were a half-decent golfer.  Or that trumpet at the bottom of the pile reminded you to start practicing again.  By reviewing our old belongings, we reconnect with our past.  And by reconnecting with our past, we can implement those things that we lost touch with into our present lives.

Reason #4 – Recognize What’s Most Important

Picture yourself opening up your closet full of shirts.  You have 15 shirts you don’t think much about and five shirts you absolutely adore.  Now what if you removed those 15 shirts you didn’t care much for and just kept the ones you loved?  Next time you open your closet you’ll be welcomed only by the things you care for.

By removing the things we don’t care much for, we can focus on the the things we care most about.  In the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo implores her readers to keep only those things that “bring joy”.  I believe this is simple but true.  Imagine the feeling being surrounded only by the things that bring you joy.  You’re much more likely to appreciate the things you have and recognize what’s most important.

Summary

There you have it.  Clean your room for the reasons listed above.  I find it’s much easier to do something when you fully understand the positive consequences.  So the next time you’re inclined to put off cleaning your room, think not about the dullness of the act, but instead think about saving money, creating a happy place, reconnecting with your past, and identifying what’s most important.

Enjoy this post? Subscribe and get notified when new content is released.