Living with clutter can make things feel like everything is a struggle.
We can feel stuck and in a rut. Declutter and release your thinking! CE
We have been living in our new home for just over two and a half years. I regularly run training programs from our home and so when I have people over I race around and “Zen” the house to make it look beautiful. When people arrive it is tidy, clean and well organised. I am exhausted but satisfied.
However, below the surface, a dreaded habit lurked! – Clutter! Some of my cupboards, drawers and rooms that “don’t face” the public were less than appealing! My office is the worst offender! Just about every horizontal surface in my office I had a pile of notes, files and miscellaneous other things waiting to be worked on, filed or organised. It was an embarrassment! When I have clients at home for coaching or training, I close the doors to ensure nobody can see it, or if they did see it I would make some lame excuse about being busy and apologise about the mess. The turning point came when I actually stopped wanting to go in there myself because it was so disorganised and cluttered. My thinking shut down as I stepped into the office and my stress levels rose, which didn’t feel good. This was compounded because Helmut also shares my office and has some similar paperwork habits!
Anthony Robbins says that when the pain is great enough we move to action. He is right!
When we have clutter around us it affects us at an unconscious level. We tend to feel less energetic, less on top of things, overwhelmed, stressed and not as in control or relaxed (and not happy!). The Chinese mastered this centuries ago with the practice of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is the study of energy patterns known as “Chi”. When Chi is stagnant or obstructed, as it is when we have a cluttered environment, it affects us on a number of levels, particularly energetically.
I have always had an interest in Feng Shui and knew that stagnant cluttered environments were really bad for the energy flow. I had had a Feng Shui consultant to visit our home when we first moved in (before I had a chance to make it too cluttered). I knew my lack of focus and motivation was a result of needing to clear things out, both psychologically and physically.
Re-energising our environment and removing obstacles and clutter increases the movement of Chi which brings positive flow of Chi into our environment and lives. The Chinese believe it brings good luck and good fortune. As we declutter and rearrange our environment we begin to feel lighter, more energised, more balanced and happier.
So I began, laboriously sorting through everything and began to declutter. What started as a necessity turned out to be a release of everything that was holding me back from moving forward in my life to achieve the things of my dreams. What a difference! I felt so happy, disciplined and in control when the house was declutttered and organised, and I had removed the things we really didn’t need any more.
It is often really difficult to find the time or motivation to spend sorting and completing tasks. Revitalising our life and home should be an enjoyable activity. It is much better to undertake these tasks when we can feel excited and inspired – having positive feeling, especially when we think about how good it will feel when we are done – organised and “Zenned”. The better feeling state we can elicit as we declutter, the more readily we move into a flow state and the whole process is easier.
Some of the best tips for decluttering are:
- Begin by visualising the end result – clean, clear and auspicious
- Take a notebook and make a list of what changes you want to make in each room
- Begin with a small area like the bathroom or a room that is of least importance to you and finish with the most important room or the room that will take the most effort
- Have a rubbish box and a box for charity – go through and allocate anything that you haven’t used in a year to one of these boxes
- Throw out anything that is broken or chipped or not fully functioning (or repair it quickly)
- Find a place for everything – only have objects of beauty showing – less is best!
- Keep everything that makes you laugh
- Use containers to store small objects in an orderly way
- Put the things you use frequently in the easiest position to reach
- Open windows and let in fresh air as you go
- Ensure horizontal spaces are free as much as possible
- Throw out old magazines or donate them to an aged people’s facility or a doctors surgery
- Sort to the garage or basement then arrange what you are keeping into organised areas based on function – tools, sporting equipment etc.
- Anything you absolutely must keep for sentimental reasons (and be ruthless!), pack into a box, label it and store it in the garage.
- Give away or sell (eBay is fabulous!) old bags, clothes, furniture, books, trinkets etc
- Dump the real junk first. When in doubt about keeping or dumping something – keep it – you can dump it again in 6 months on the next round of decluttering
- Remember to dump things that you haven’t used in 1-2 years to create a virtuous cycle of giving and receiving
- Other areas to declutter include old computers (remember to back things up!), filing cabinets and the top drawers in the kitchen!
- If you have a handbag – declutter it once a week – I am always amazed at the accumulation of “stuff” in my bag and how light it becomes when I declutter it! I am always amazed at how much my handbags can hold!
- It is also important to declutter your mind – spend some time in quietness – no stimulation, just being – and dump any negative thoughts and limiting beliefs
Decluttering enables us to think more clearly and to live in a less overwhelming way and more organised and simple way – giving us more time for the things that are most important to us. Plan some time in small chunks – five minutes here, half an hour there, two hours or half a day – whatever you can manage and begin to systematically declutter. As you do you will feel happier, more satisfied, more in control, more organised, have better thinking abilities and generally more energised and vital. You results will speak for themselves – Enjoy!
Eliminating whatever is piled in corners, hidden in closets,
and not moved or used in a long time is restorative – Lillian Too
As always, I would be delighted if you would share your thoughts and results with me at c.egle@ilad.com.au