Everyone intuitively knows that they should get rid of their clutter. It looks bad, people think they’re messy or lazy…but there’s more to it. Every house has energy flowing through it which supports its’ occupants. When you have piles of stuff, overfilled closets, drawers, and bookshelves, you have stagnation. Stagnation is the opposite of energy flow. It hinders you, keeps you stuck.

You and your environment affect each other, in both directions. If you are in a stuck, scared, or confused time of your life, you will create or reflect that in your rooms. If you have ended up in a situation where your rooms are overcrowded, your plants have died, or you have kept too much unused, old, or broken stuff, then your life will start to shut down also.

If you are ready for any kind of a positive change, in your health, your enjoyment of life, your career success, then take a look at how you can let go of the old, so that you have room for the new opportunity to come your way.

The location of your clutter makes sense. If you have a guest bedroom that has become a storage room, noone will come to visit you. This may or may not be what you really want. If your office files are filled with outdated information that you haven’t used in years, you will not be attracting business from customers who want the latest information. You may be busy, but doing the same old thing. Look at your kitchen. Do you love to cook, or hate to cook? Does your kitchen reflect this? Are your countertops serving the purpose of collecting mail or homework instead of welcoming you to cook? Are your cabinets too crowded to find the lids you need? Are some of your pots and pans or utensils no longer functional? Be aware of how these physical factors affect your mental attitude in the kitchen.

Now, pick a place; a room, closet, or drawer that you’re ready to go through and see what you can let go of. This can take a long time, so be realistic about dedicating enough time for the process. You may go through a process of remembering when you got an object, how you used it or wore it. You may feel nostalgic and sad, or guilty about getting rid of it.

If you are having trouble making decisions or letting go, use The 3 Pile Method. Make piles of “Save”, “Get Rid Of”, and “Can’t Decide”. Try to sort things quickly that obviously go in the Save or Get Rid Of piles. Allow yourself the luxury of using the Can’t Decide pile instead of stalling because you can’t make a decision. Box up the items in the Can’t Decide pile, and put them AWAY, such as in a storage closet or garage. Mark on your calendar a date such as 3 months or 6 months from now when you will go thru the Can’t Decide box. If you need or want anything from the box during that time, just go and get it. When you go through the box, notice whether you have missed any of these things over the months. Then sort the items into the 3 piles again.

Dispose of / Donate / or Recycle your Get Rid Of pile right away. Notice how you feel when you do this.

Put away your wanted items neatly. If you have kept more stuff than you have room for, you need to keep working on an organizational system. You should be able to see and easily pick up anything in a closet, or drawer, or shelf. Do not store heavy objects over your head. Do not put more that 3 objects on top of each other, i.e., boxes or books. Use clear plastic containers or open baskets so you can see where your things are. Now open your doors and drawers and smile and notice how light and nimble you feel!

Lastly, set up an ongoing system for organization. For example, locate your trash, recycling, and shredder near your mail, and immediately sort it into these categories. Set up an ongoing box for charity donations, and put items in the box as you run across them.

Beware of the “Poverty – Depression Era Mentality”. If you are saving something because it is still useful even though it is out of style, you could be living in the past, and/or living in fear that you will not have enough money to buy what you need. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, consciously enjoy your cleaned out spaces and how good you feel about yourself for doing it. Then be aware of and open to new energy and opportunities that now have room to come your way: a friend, an idea, a contact, a material item…the sky’s the limit!