THE NEW YORK TIMES: The seven decluttering myths stopping you from improving your mental health

With such an overwhelming chorus of voices prescribing advice — and products — it can be hard to know what to believe when it comes to organising your home.

But a neat home can provide more than just an easier material life.

According to Dr Peggy Loo, a licensed psychologist and clinical director of the Manhattan Therapy Collective, “there definitely are mental health benefits to living in a space where you feel comfortable, you feel like it’s your own, you feel it’s space that you can be yourself in”.

So we spoke to experts to debunk some of the biggest organisation myths out there — and to figure out what we should be doing instead.

Myth: I need to buy a bunch of baskets and dividers before I can organise

Label makers, acacia drawer dividers and clear plastic Q-Tip carafes are nice to have in a small space, but your first focus should be “just getting it decluttered to the point where everything is easily accessible and seen,” said Dana K. White, author of “Decluttering at the Speed of Life.”

Buying those accessories may even prohibit you from starting: “You need to measure before you buy stuff, and that step in itself is a block,” said Christi Newrutzen, a content creator who specialises in cleanup videos.

And, of course, if you have too many objects in a drawer, putting them into pretty compartments may make them easier to spot, but you’ll still have too many objects.

Kristyn Ivey, a clutter coach, said even after decluttering the problem area, you should hold off on investing in new organisation items. Instead, do a test run using what you’ve already got at home.

“You can repurpose different trays or Tupperware or empty containers,” she said. Then you can move things around to where they make the most logical sense without having wasted money on the wrong organisation items.

Myth: I may someday need that cord! (Or mini-perfume. Or random spice jar)

To assess what actually is vital, Ivey suggests asking yourself how precious each thing is. “If I can replace this item in 20 minutes and under $20, then maybe it’s worth letting go of,” she said.

Naeemah Ford Goldson, a professional organiser, suggests thinking about when you last used the item.

“A good rule of thumb for items without expiration dates is to toss or donate them if you haven’t used them within one year,” she said.

However, it can be hard to discard something even after identifying it as no longer useful, said Loo.

A first-generation American, she points out there can be cultural and emotional baggage to sort through. “I grew up with parents who told me never to waste anything,” Loo said.

“I think for a lot of us, it is from that scarcity mindset.” Ivey suggests setting aside a temporary box for those things. “Looking at everything else in your house may help you realise that really that cord just has no place anymore and you can release it,” she said.

Myth: I need to dump everything out in a pile to sort.

For many people, the idea of giant piles is a huge hindrance to beginning a clean-up.

“During the process, there is a little chaos before there is calm. That’s necessary when you’re changing anything in your life,” Ivey said.

“But there are ways to do it that are reasonable and won’t trigger you in any way or cause you to burn out.” If a client has a “high volume” of clothes, for example, she recommended starting with one category at a time, dumping out just a drawer of socks.

Myth: I don’t have the time.

Newrutzen has built a TikTok following debunking assumptions about the time it takes to declutter in her “How Long Does It Take?” video series.

“We really don’t have a grasp of how long things will actually take,” she said.

She said it can be useful to just set a timer for 15 minutes, and see how much you can accomplish, or to time yourself completing one task so you’ll know how long it takes for the next time.

Instead of aiming for completion, which can feel impossible, she and other experts recommend starting small, and chipping away at the project as time allows. And often, after completing five minutes of work, people feel motivated to set their timer for another five minutes, said Andrew Mellen, an organisation expert.

“Once you get active, it’s like ‘Oh, this wasn’t so bad, what was I so afraid of?’” he said.

Myth: I should reward myself after I finish.

While delayed gratification may work for some, Newrutzen poses an alternative: “You could reward yourself during,” she said.

Instead of lighting a nice candle after her space is perfectly organised, for example, she lights one during the process to incentivise herself, and will drink something fun during the task, rather than after, too.

In fact, Newrutzen suggests making the decluttering process as fun as possible, by listening to a favourite podcast or album, or playing a fun episode of TV in the background.

Just make sure it’s not too engaging: Mellen can’t listen to some music because “I’ll get swept up in the lyrics,” he said. “I need all my attention to concentrate.”

Myth: When I’m done, I’m done.

If only that were so! “The biggest trap would be thinking you only have to get organised once, and then it’s done,” said Ford Goldson.

Even after the initial cleanup, you have to spend consistent time maintaining what you’ve accomplished. The best way to do this, she said, is to “work it into the tasks that you ordinarily do.”

For example, she refreshes her fridge and pantry once a week after grocery shopping, checking expiration dates and tossing any old leftovers.

To prevent clutter creeping back, Mellen recommends a “something in, something out” rule, where you’re free to buy a new sweater, coffee mug, or bath towel, but only if you remove one as well.

White says this philosophy is especially useful when encouraging kids to declutter: You tell them they can keep whatever toys can fit onto a shelf, and then donate the rest. “There is something about letting that space be the bad guy instead of me,” White said.

Myth: You are a better person when you’re neater.

Experts warned against assigning moral value to your physical space. In reality, getting organised — and staying organised — comes easier to some than to others.

“The most freeing thing is when I realised that my brain works differently from the brains of naturally organised people and that that’s not wrong,” White said.

Ivey even suggests softening the language you use for describing your messy spaces. “Talking down to yourself when you’re trying to make good decisions, it actually amplifies all those feelings — the fear, the shame, the guilt, all of that.” Instead of calling it your “junk chair” or your “junk drawer,” she recommends, maybe it’s your “transitional chair,” or your “catchall drawer”.

And maybe you’re not “a mess,” either — just a person doing their best.