My weekend sucked. But in a good way.

You see, I admit that the one household chore I dread the most is decluttering our living space.

I’m busy. The Cowboy’s busy. And when we finally have some downtime, the last thing we want to do is clean out the junk that has mysteriously appeared in every corner of our home.

However, it must be done.

If you do this on a regular basis, congratulations. Today’s post may not be as helpful as it will be for those who are in my shoes.

Someone posted an update on Facebook that essentially said: dust prohibits productivity.

Yikes.

As I looked up from my laptop and scanned my working area, I saw not only dust but clutter. Piles of papers, old magazines, one bookcase too many… All of it made for one stifling working space.

So, determined to have a more streamlined office, I went to work this past weekend. I worked at it all day on Saturday, for four ½ hours on Sunday, and finished it by working three hours more today. It’s pretty much done. I just have to still sift through a few more piles to either file, put into an immediate “to do” list or discard them.

And for the items I no longer needed but were in good working order, I carted them off to Volunteers for America.

Decluttering your living space, and especially your office space, has several benefits.

It gives you a sense of peace and serenity

When I come into my office, I now breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t experience that overwhelming or “gasping for air” feeling because I have space… visual space that doesn’t choke the life out of me.

When you’re surrounded by clutter, it’s difficult to feel peaceful. It’s because as your eyes look over various items, your brain is trying to figure out what to do with them. The items end up dragging you down and can make you feel anxious. Not good.

After I threw away two large garbage bags of junk, I immediately felt better. As I look across my desk (which actually is my deceased grandmother’s dining table), I see the beautiful wood. No clutter.

And I feel calmer.

You’ll breathe better

Studies have shown that dust contains allergens that make breathing more difficult. Some people have a high sensitivity to dust.

Some believe that dust attracts negative energy. Just having a dust-free space is well worth the time and effort involved to get it. My office feels lighter and I know my sinuses will thank me.

Having dust and clutter can make you feel fatigued. A lack of energy is often the result of allowing paper and other items to pile up and collect dust. Once you throw away items that no longer serve a purpose, you will find that you’ll have more energy.

Maybe you won’t need that 2:00 PM espresso, after all!

Decluttering attracts wealth

Who doesn’t want more money flowing into their lives? Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement and there are ways to position furniture in your home to attract the flow of money.

I’m not sure if you believe that, but I will share my own experience. Whenever I’ve decluttered, especially my office area, I immediately received new opportunities.

And it just happened today.

A former co-worker had asked if I could send her my portfolio. There was a possibility of working with her new company. I’ve received enough inquiries to know that not all of them amount to a real opportunity.

However, I sent her samples and continued working on my current projects. It was a few weeks ago when she asked and to be honest, I totally forgot about it.

But then she called me today to set up conference call with her CEO and three other key personnel.

Two hours after I had cleared out the last of the clutter from my office.

Similar events have happened in the past. Julie Morgenstern, author of organizing books Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life and Organizing From the Inside Out, shared how she also had to learn to let go of items in her life that were just cluttering up her world.

Morgenstern used to be involved in the theater for years before she became an organization expert. As she plowed through her “stuff,” she realized she had kept a large number of screenplays.

They really had no place in her life at that moment. So she choose one screenplay to commemorate that part of her life and threw the rest away.

After decluttering and throwing away items that no longer were a part of her current life, she said that within a month new business opportunities opened up. She claimed those opportunities now had “room to grow” within her freshly decluttered office area.

So if you’re feeling “clogged up” with your business, a thorough cleaning could reap big benefits.

I admit it feels a little odd in my office now. For months it’s been full of “stuff.” I was used to the clutter although I secretly didn’t like it.

It always will be an effort to set aside time to declutter. It’s not fun (although trashing certain items can be). It takes time and focus. But if you put on some music or as I did, catch up with your favorite podcasts, the time will go by faster.

In the end, I’m sure you’ll feel like I do at this moment.

Full of energy and geared for productivity.