Liberation through cleansing

For the past three months I’ve transitioned from a Windows 10 desktop computer to a new Windows 11 model, and as that chore is finally done, I’ve been able to remove the old machine and declutter my small office that was a total mess.

After doing it and getting rid of useless paper and documents, I’ve never felt so well to the point that I want to keep doing it with the stuff sitting in my office or around my workshop downstairs. The feeling was so soothing and exhilarating that I’d like to do this year round. 

That led me to research the subject and, in the process, I found that the deep sense of satisfaction I felt wasn’t just about tidiness, it was much beyond that! It was about regaining control, as clutter overwhelms our brain’s ability to focus (what some call "cognitive overload"). Organizing restores our sense of control. Likewise, a messy space subconsciously signals "unfinished tasks", triggering low-grade stress, so getting rid of it is highly beneficial. 

Medical folks say that cleaning up triggers dopamine release, the brain’s "reward" chemical that creates a virtuous cycle of motivation. At the same time our cortisol level drops, calming us a bit. They’re also psychological benefits, like one called the “ Zeigarnik Effect” that claims that our brain fixates on incomplete tasks, and organizing provides a kind of closure, freeing some mental capacity. 

An added benefit of reducing physical clutter is that it minimizes those pesky daily dilemmas, like “Where’s my credit card?", saving us both time and energy for much more important decisions. Psychologists also say that letting go of unused items does mirror emotional release. There are cultures that associate cleaning with purification, like spring cleaning or Japanese “oosouji” for year-end scrubbing. 

Of course, early humans learned to benefit from organized living spaces and were craving for predictability. Our need for neatness may be hardwired for survival, as modern life chokes us with digital and physical clutter, organizing our space is a tangible response to that, being in fact a rare area where effort yields immediate, visible results and return some sense of control to us!