Clearing Out The Clutter

In Karen Kingston's book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, she defines four categories of clutter:

- things you do not use or love
- things that are untidy or disorganized
- too many things in too small a space
- anything unfinished

Clutter can affect your life in many ways. Having lots of clutter means you need space to store it, time to rearrange it, time to find what you need, time to dust it or repair it, and money to insure and maintain it. Plus, the more you have, the more you usually want.

Clutter also affects your peace of mind (your 'mind clutter'). For example, sit down at a desk piled high with papers vs. a neat, tidy desk with no clutter. How do you feel in each situation? When would you feel more motivated and productive?

Clutter can depress you, decrease your energy levels, make you feel ashamed of your home or office, and affect the level of respect you receive from others. Clutter can also make you feel disorganized and distracted.

So why do people keep clutter? We keep things because:

- I may need it some day
- it reminds me of someone
- it was so expensive
- it still works
- it was a gift
- it was my dad's
- more is better, right?
- we feel our possessions define us
- get rid of something?
- it would be too much work to go through all my stuff

At the root of all these reasons is fear - we fear letting go. We fear for the future...what if you need something and don't have it? We also fear our own feelings - what kind of emotions might you experience as you sort through, and let go of, some of your belongings?

The benefits of letting go of some of your clutter are enormous. Clearing clutter creates space in your life - for new experiences, new people, new ideas, and new energy. Simply getting rid of items you no longer use and love creates a huge reserve of energy...you'll have to try it to see what I mean!

Are you inspired to take a look at what you may be holding on to in your life? Are you ready to create some space in your life?

We'll start the de-cluttering process with a very simple exercise.

Today, right now, go through your home or office and fill one shopping bag with items you no longer love or use. If you're feeling particularly inspired, fill several bags. Or go all out and fill 20 bags.

When deciding whether something stays or goes, here are some criteria from Karen Kingston's book:

- Does it lift my energy when I think about it or look at it?
- Do I absolutely love it?
- Is it genuinely useful (NOW, not 'someday maybe')?

Immediately after you've filled the bags, put them in the trunk of your car, and do something with those bags THIS WEEK. Either donate them to charity, throw them away, give them to a friend who could use them (giving your friend full permission to pass the items on or dispose of them as desired!) - anything, just get rid of the bags right away. Otherwise you may find yourself digging through them in the middle of the night when you think you can't live without that one special item.

Once you've gone through this exercise, take few minutes to see how you feel. Do you have more energy? Are you feeling a little nervous? Are you inspired to continue?

As the week goes on, be aware of any changes in your life...just pay attention. Are you looking at your 'stuff' differently? Are you experiencing yourself differently?

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