Clutter stands in the way of clarity. Clutter, especially paper pile-up can make you feel guilty and stuck. Are you saving things “just in case?” Chances are you may not be able to find it later anyways. Do you feel overwhelmed? Clearing even one drawer or one pile can work wonders towards mental clarity. It brings a sense of achievement and hope. For lifting spirits, it is VERY effective. Wouldn’t you rather look at a pure and empty space? It may seem like too big of a job but take it one day at a time. Remember, little by little does get the job done. You’ll me amazed how much you’re holding on to.

What can do you with all the clutter you are going to go through? Donate it to a women’s shelter or a local charity. If you wait for that big garage sale, you are just rearranging your clutter for a later date. Garage sales aren’t that great. Everybody nickels and dimes you and you still are stuck with most of your items. With your $21.50 profit (after nine painful hours of dealing with the best bargainers in history not to mention the time the night before spent preparing) you then drive all the leftovers to the local charity or worse yet, store the items in the garage for the next big garage sale. No, no more.

Make this the year of no more messy house. 

It doesn’t have to be an all day project, start small. Tackle that paper pile-up on the kitchen table or an equally visible spot first. Be brutal. It may hurt, but after a little while, it will be so exciting to clear the clutter, making way for peace of mind.

At the end of the hour, sit back and relax. You are on a fresh, new course now.

Visualize this. An organized home free of clutter. You look around and you are surrounded by things you love, things you use, things that symbolize beauty for you. There is empty space, which feels good.

Holding on to things that you don’t need has the sad but true ability to hold you back. It’s really about indecision and control. The reason why decluttering is so difficult is because it isn’t just going through stuff. It’s about going through layers and layers of possessions and paper that you haven’t made up your mind what to do about. It is easier to push them aside, stuff them in a bag and put them in a closet as the decision to keep or discard is deferred to a later time.

You buy new things. It’s exciting to go shopping and bring home new, shiny things. You need these things, at least you think you do even if it’s sometime in the vague future. Your house size is hardly ever the problem. In fact, your house size can compound the issue by offering more space to store. The problem is that more things are coming in than are going out.

You look around your house and you see clutter. Most of us do. How can you shift from a state of overwhelm to a one of encouragement when it comes to decluttering?

An important mindset to have when starting and staying on the course of decluttering is extreme KINDNESS with yourself. Start off small and remember that it is a process that will take time. Enjoy each decluttering session no matter how big or small and OWN the feeling of accomplishment and success. You deserve it!

You’ve started to de-clutter. You’ve gone through those mounds of papers that you’ve been meaning to get around to. Although you don’t necessarily like the noise of the shredder, you’re starting to associate that humming sound with a feeling of accomplishment.

You’re even thinking of purchasing a more sophisticated shredder. Things are looking exciting now as you clear your way through paper pile-up.

Then you open the closet. Bags of important papers, boxes and other miscellaneous items that have been thrown in there stare you straight in the eye as you feel your heart drop. How in the world did all this clutter get there? In your busy life, you’ve shoved everything in this space for the time being. You just never got around to organizing it.

You quickly close the door and turn on the television. Now, you’ve hit a roadblock as your energy plummets.

This is normal. You’ve started a project that takes a lot of courage and bravery. You’re making decisions that you’ve been putting off for quite some time, even years. Now you have chosen to go through these items and make some tough choices. Letting go is a challenging process but you have decided that you would like to get unstuck and start getting rid of all the physical clutter that stands in the way of your peace of mind.

So you open the closet again. You take out one bag or item at a time. You ruthlessly make the decision of if it makes the cut to stay in your life, one item at a time.

Ask yourself:

Do I really need this item?

Am I willing to transfer my peace of mind for this item?

Who am I without this item?

Keep in mind it’s not just about getting rid of stuff. It’s about getting unstuck and moving towards the clarity that you are seeking. The energy that you get from de-cluttering will create real transformation in your life.

The BIG question: Do you want clutter or clarity? 

To Your Fulfillment,

Cara