Macquarie Dictionary – Clutter – to fill (a place) with litter, disorder. Confusion; disorder.

What is Clutter?

Clutter can fall into two categories:-

o Clutter is anything that you do not love, need or use.

o Clutter also can be disorganisation of things that you love, need and use.

Clutter can be found not only in rooms, easy to see, but in our computers, cupboards and draws, pending and filing trays, and even in our wallets/purse and handbags.

Clutter can be things that we cannot see, for example, mind clutter, too many un-prioritised responsibilities, committing to too many events either personal or professional, not allowing yourself the ability to organize your life around things that bring you a sense of fulfilment, joy and leave you feeling energised and uplifted.

Pause for a moment to gaze around the area you're sitting in. Note things that catch your eye that may bring to mind sentences like: 'I need to pick that up and go through that pile.’, ‘I've never liked that painting.’, ‘My sister could use that item.’ And ‘That's a mess!' Statements like these alert you to clutter-spots.

To check if you have clutter in areas you cannot see, in your mind now go over the events of your day or common thoughts during your day. Are they leaving you uplifted or overwhelmed with a sense of ‘I feel nothing was accomplished today’, or ‘I have too many things on and I don’t know how I am going to get through it all’.

Why is it important to eliminate clutter?

Ancient cultures knew that everything, all animate and inanimate objects are alive with memories, feelings and associations. All objects are speaking to us all of the time, some give messages that lift our spirits and others reduce our excitement and enthusiasm (negative vibes), sometimes these are barely perceptible.

Having clutter in your life may be reducing your chances of moving forward, realising dreams, seeing opportunities and accepting change. When we see ‘clutter’ everyday, our sub conscious records its message and we in turn tend to behave in a manner matching this message. For example – A picture given to you by a person with whom you have parted ways, very expensive, but you do not really like it or every time you look at it you are reminded of him/her.

The message to you is loud and clear – “You will never be able to afford to replace it” or “I am angry/sad every time I think of him/her”.

Mind or event clutter can often leave us with the message “I am not good enough to finish anything” or “I get no satisfaction in this job which leaves me exhausted”. The affect this has on your energy is draining not uplifting or safe.

Another great example is a wardrobe full of clothes that do not fit you. Instead of being an incentive to loose weight it often creates the thought of “still too big/fat”.

We hoard due to feelings of not being good enough, of being unworthy, not lovable, of being less than others who in some way we see as superior to ourselves.

We are aware that what we think we attract, and as you can see in above examples you may be attracting lack, anger, sadness, a feeling of being unfulfilled and even staying over the weight/size you would like to be.

Let go of the old, to make space for the new! This is a great statement, as we clear out the old; we also begin to clear out our old programming and beliefs and are open to so many new and exciting opportunities.

What less than desirable messages are you receiving from the objects in your environment, or too much mind clutter or even events/situations throughout your day? Are these messages taking you closer to achieving your goals or ideal life, or are they moving you away from it?

Take time now to look around your home and/or office, your diary or listen to your inner dialogue and write down what it is telling you about you and/or the situation you find yourself.

How do we de-clutter?

It’s the little things we do on a daily basis which create the changes in our lives. The change is subtle and only becomes apparent some time down the track when we look back and see how far we have come.

Subtle changes in our habits and in our environments cause profound changes in our experience of life. We can feel more energised, aware, happy and centred. These feelings attract into our lives new experiences that may be more fulfilling than what we are getting now.

Live with what you love and live with what is useful to you. If you don't like or care for an article, thought or situation and it's not useful why continue to allow the object or behaviour/action to inhabit your space?

Sometimes we might think we love an object, or feel obligated to meet certain commitments/responsibilities, or an object or event may or may not be useful to us. However we know within us that when we see this object or partake in the activity that it brings our energy down rather than lifting it up. The presence of these articles or situations in our environment is detrimental to our leading happy, productive and fulfilling lives.

As you de-clutter, ask yourself 4 questions:

o Do I love it?
o Is it useful?
o Does it lift my energy/spirits?
o Is it in full working order?

If you answer “no” to any of the above questions, consider getting rid of the object, either by giving it away or throwing it away. If you cannot bring yourself to do this, then consider packing it away neatly in the back of a cupboard, and if you do not give it a second thought for 6 months then maybe it is definitely time for it to go.

If it is an event or situation, you may be able to prioritise more in line to what uplifts you and supports a positive and proactive mindset and goal achievement.

As you do this, the doors of abundance and feeling good will open and the ‘energy’ you let go off will be replaced with more appropriate things for you now.

One of my favourite questions when unsure about what to do or where to start with de-cluttering is – “Tell me about this”. As we talk about the object, room or specific item or situation, a story unfolds that quite often gives us clear messages about something we see or do everyday and how it is having a bigger effect on our lives in general than we consciously realise.

Set yourself small goals when de-cluttering. A set of cupboards, or a room at a time, a work tray, or an event you really do not want to attend. Doing this will not only enable us constant feelings of satisfaction and no sleep deprivation, but will allow us to deal with feelings, emotions and releasing memories attached to the item/s.

As we de-clutter our outside environment, this begins a process of clearing us on the inside (mind/body/spirit), it is a wonderful experience of growth. As with any growth though, do it at your own pace and under your own advisement.

Sometimes you may find you will need to enlist the ear or shoulder of a close friend or family member to talk about what you are feeling from clearing out, or you may even unearth some deep issues that a chosen practitioner can help you work through. In this way you will allow this to be a meaningful time to move onwards and upwards, out of feeling stuck and overwhelmed.

Exercises For Consideration

In reviewing the information you can present yourself with some simple questions to get started:
o What do I want to set as my Goal for de-cluttering? How can I break this down to smaller daily or weekly achievable achievements? For example: My Goal is to de-clutter all my cupboards in my home. Daily Goal is one cupboard per day, and take all the things I don’t need anymore to Life Line (or a similar charity) once a week.

o When setting Goals make sure they are realistic for you. If you work long hours or have children at home you may need to give yourself more time on certain tasks. You may also find it helpful to let others know what you are doing and why and even enlist their help if this is appropriate for you. An important thing to keep in mind is that when we clear out anything, whether it be our home, our desk or our appointment diary, it is often best practised by ourselves so we learn, release and grow from the experience.

o Look at all your options for achieving your goal. Is there other ways you can do it? I always find it helpful to have at least two ways in mind of doing anything. This not only gives you a clearer choice of what will work for you now, but provides you with a back up plan so you don’t just give up if something is not working.

o It is also a great idea to have a plan on how you are going to keep yourself, your actions and your environment free of clutter in the future. A good thing to keep in mind is that it takes approx 30 days to create a habit, so be consistent and before you know it you will find you are automatically aware of clutter and clearing out regularly what no longer giving you satisfaction and clarity.
As we deal with clutter we will improve the quality of our life by creating living spaces that resonate with comfort, warmth, style and inspiration; spaces that make us feel vibrant and alive, doesn’t that sound wonderful!

Author Profile: Kirsty O’Callaghan is the Owner and Principal Coach at Unity-Qld, which offers a wide range of services which compliment each other, so consultations and/or training are tailored to the individual needs. The techniques and strategies Kirsty uses help clarify what you want from life, set effective goals, stay focused and challenged and promote success, health and well being.
www.unity-qld.com.au.