The Real Importance of Clearing the Clutter

Your home is your haven. It is a reflection of you, and should be an environment where you are able to relax and enjoy your space. The real importance of clearing the clutter you may have in your home is it helps you regain control of your life in other ways.

Take a look around you. How does your home feel to you? Do you love coming home? Do you feel a sense of peace and calm and safety when you enter? Or are you ashamed, so overwhelmed with the clutter and disorganization that you never want anyone else to see it? Do you get the feeling that somehow you are not in control of more than your home -- you are not in control of your life.

Clutter can cause depression, and depression can have other effects. It can cause you to isolate yourself from friends. It can cause you to overeat and gain weight. It can affect your family relationships. So, don't you think, if this applies to you, that it is time. Time to unclutter your life. Time to let go of clutter in your space. If you cannot control the space around you, then you will not be able to control the other aspects of your life.

Think of it this way. Clutter is an obstacle. If you've read anything about Feng Shui, you know that clutter can impede the flow of energy in your home. This includes preventing the entry and movement of good energy as well as keeping negative energy hanging around. You can feel that negative energy when you are surrounded by clutter, disorganization and unfinished projects.

So, how can you start clearing the clutter from your spaces? Here are four steps to start on your journey to letting go of clutter.

1. Define the purpose of each room or space in your home. Ask yourself what you want from that room. Is it a calm place to relax? Is it an organized kitchen where you love to cook nourishing meals? Is it an efficient home office where you can work comfortably? Do you want a warm and romantic bedroom?

2. Now identify why it's not working. Could it be you are short of storage space? Is your bedroom closet too small? Identify why you hang onto things - is it because you may need it 'someday', or because you just might wear it? Could you rearrange the furniture to gain space? Is there a clutter of old magazines, heaps of unfiled and unsorted mail, or piles of dirty laundry?

3. Work with one room or one area at a time. Just the thought of clearing the clutter from a whole home can be overwhelming. Instead, start small, one area or room at a time, and start with the most visible clutter. Out-in-the-open piles of stuff are easy targets for removal or organizing.

4. When the obvious clutter has been dealt with, then take time to sort through the hidden piles. Get into those drawers, closets and pantries, one by one, and keep only the stuff that is useful and that you actually do use. If it is useful, but not something you use (like that stash of wool from when you thought you might take up knitting) then let go of it. Someone else may actually use it. It's just clutter.

As your home progresses to a clutter-free state, you will find your life is changing too. You will think more clearly, have more energy, and look forward in anticipation to new activities and relationships.

Clutter getting you down? Nicki Goff is an experienced coach who can help you reduce clutter in your home or workspace. Learn more about how you can take control of the stuff in your home and your life with her free email newsletter and the other resources available on her website, DeclutterToday.com.