This is a guest post by Stefan Zugor. Stefan is a Personal Development Blogger. He loves helping people become the best version of themselves.

I used to be the messiest person you could meet.

Clothes would be strewn all over my floor, my possessions scattered in a random fashion all over my room, and my bed covered in paperwork and assorted things I’d taken out of my pockets throughout the day—at bedtime it would all get thrown onto the floor.

After a few years living this way (my early teen years) I decided to change things. I wanted to see what would happen if I organized my room and actually made an effort to keep things tidy and in certain places for once. What happened was amazing.

At the time, I was at college studying for my Psychology ‘A level’ exam and had recently come out of an unhealthy relationship. Things were stressful, and keeping my room tidy was not exactly high on my priority list. Then I read an article about how keeping your room tidy gives your mind a chance to breathe, so to speak, and helps organize your thoughts.

That decision led to things I couldn’t have imagined beforehand. I was able to find things in my room. Paperwork was organized and I knew where everything was. More importantly, I was so on top of everything that I could find the time to read more, to learn more, and ultimately to start a blog.

I started writing to share what I was learning, but then as I became better at it, and I was learning more, it was like an obsession. Not an obsession with writing, or even with being clean. It sparked within me a desire for something greater—to become the best possible version of myself.

What seemed like a small decision to clean my room, had led to my changing almost everything about myself, including:

  • I knew where I was going in life
  • I improved my confidence
  • I got on top of debt and started to earn more
  • My relationships seemed to have more focus
  • I was able to think much more clearly
  • I could ‘see’ things I couldn’t before
  • Oh, and my room stayed tidy.

I know crediting everything to that first decision to clean my room seems a little extreme, but these changes did happen as a result of improving that one little thing in my life. I’m not saying a clean room is the ultimate self-improvement recommendation. What I am saying is no matter what area of your life, there is potential to make small improvements. And sometimes a small decision can lead to major changes.

Whether it is relationships, finance, or even just organizing your bedroom, try it for yourself. Make a small change (like keeping your room tidy) see what changes occur in your mind. Thinking ‘clean’ will help streamline your thinking, optimize your time and ultimately, improve your life.

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