How To Clear Clutter From Your Space

Tips For Decluttering

How Decluttering Can Help You Get Unstuck

By Erin Gjertsen

Clutter...
You know...
It's your stuff
I know, it's all really good stuff...
but it can block the flow of energy in your space if you have lots of stuff that never gets moved, looked at, or appreciated.

If you have been feeling 'stuck', unable to move forward, or feeling like you are trudging through mud, you might give some serious thought to decluttering.

You might be surprised how the energy of a space can shift and feel lighter, with even just a half hour of tidying up.

Since it is very important to me to be really authentic, I figured if I am going to write about how to clear clutter up, I need to look at my own clutter and really do something about it. I started on it and that was enough momentum for me to get my website up and running again. There is still more to go, though, and so we begin!

Decluttering The Easy Way

Start with something small, like a drawer, a shelf, or a closet and look at everything in it. If it makes you feel good when you see it, keep it. If not, time for it to move on.

Here are some examples of my own clutter:
What is in the parenthesis () are the things I tell myself.

• Pens that have no ink
  (but there might still be ink..).
• Yellow pads with just 3 sheets on them
  (can't have too many yellow pads)
• Stuff we have collected, but don't really love
  (they might be worth a fortune down the road).
• Laundry that has been washed, but not put away.
• Clothes we hope to fit into, again
  (if I lose weight, I will need these clothes)
• Mail that needs to be filed or thrown away.
• Photos from a "bad" relationship or unhappy times.
• Gifts that we never liked
  (giving it away might hurt X's feelings).
• Things that are broken, but we know we are not going to fix.
• Empty boxes for when we need to move again
  (it's been 8 years).
• Things we keep because we "might" need them in the future, but we have kept for over 3 years, without using them.
• Dusty shopworn store inventory
  (but it's good stuff!).
• Things we are keeping for a yard sale
  (someday).

These kinds of things just inspire negative self-talk and show a sense of lack mentality. Every time I see them, my mind is saying "when are you going to do something about that?", or "Your never going to wear that again", etc.

By decluttering, you can breath deeper and feel lighter, because the mind stops the negative self-talk about your clutter.

   

Releasing Attachment, Not Getting Rid Of

An important part of decluttering is releasing your attachment to things.

You cannot get rid of anything, so you want to look at decluttering as a release and the more re-homing you can do, the better.

If you try to get rid of your clutter, you will find in a short while that you have even more clutter than before. You want to look at it like: "I'm just cleaning my drawer (or my house). Oh, I don't use this anymore. I remember when I did use it and it was pretty good. I wonder who could use it, now? Let's find a new home for it."

For everything you want to re-home, find at least one thing you can actually appreciate about it. Maybe it is how it served you in the past. That's ok, but it is important that you can actually appreciate it, today, before you move it on.

If you have been planning to have a yard sale for over 2 years, it's time to give the stuff away. You also need to release your attachment to the stuff, or you would already have had that yard sale.

If your clutter is really just trash, put it in the trash.

If someone might be able to use it, re-home the items, by lovingly putting a box out on the sidewalk, or out by the garbage the day after trash day. Mark the box "FREE STUFF" and put anything in there that might be used by somebody else. After all, one one person's trash is another person's treasure! In our neighborhood, people drive around looking for these kinds of things...

Note: I am talking about giving away things that belong to YOU, not your mate, sweetheart, or roomy. That is their stuff. If their clutter is getting to you, have a chat and agree upon a solution.

What About The Clutter You Want To Keep?

If you have things that you still love, but don't have the space for, you might want to box them up. If your clutter IS boxes that have been unopened for several years, it is time to go though them and decide what you are ready to re-home or release.

Here's a hint for boxing up your clutter.
When we moved, we wrapped everything up in newspaper, but we had a yellow pad and wrote down everything we put in each box. When the box was full, the paper went on top, before it was closed. We also wrote what room they came from on the outside of the box. This made it really easy to find things, after our move. We didn't have to unpack every little thing, just what we needed. This can be helpful, if you find you need something from one of the boxes.

Continue your decluttering, a little bit at a time. Make it a fun game, not a chore.

Someone once said, you can't fill a full cup.
Decluttering Your stuff, frees up Your space, allowing new energies to enter your life.

Our spaces can inspire us, if they are filled with things that make us feel good, when we gaze upon them.

I am going to continue sorting, re-homing, and even throwing away my clutter. So far, it seems to have inspired my husband to sort through his stuff, as well. Not a bad thing, at all.

Do you have tips for decluttering that have helped you? Please, share them with us! We will be adding more to this page, as time allows.