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printer friendlyFree Yourself from the Clutter that Binds You
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The road to freedom and independence is paved with good intentions. Here are some ideas about following through with those intentions in regards to clutter in your life.
Does the stuff in your life have more meaning than you wish it did? Do you have more stuff than your space can contain? Does it have a life of its own? Do you wish it didn't?
Do you buy presents for others but not remember where you put them, or perhaps that you even bought them in the first place? Is your garage so full that there is no way a car would fit? Have you lost a loved one and can't let go of their things? Have you inherited furniture that you really don't like or have space for but feel obligated to keep? Do you still have your collection of owls/mushrooms/frogs from the '70s?
Some people have so many books and magazines that their bookshelves are overflowing. Others may have drawers, boxes or albums stuffed full of photos.
Why do we all have so much stuff? There are as many reasons as there are things shoved into your closets:
- I grew up with too many things and never learned limits.
- I might need it some day—just in case.
- It might fit me again someday.
- It was a present.
- It cost a lot of money.
- It's got sentimental value. It was my Aunt Mabel's favorite desk/lamp/hat.
- My mother kept things so neat I wasn't allowed to keep much. This is my way of rebelling.
- I'll use it as soon as I fix it.
- It was a good deal.
- My life feels empty and I need to fill it with something.
How can you release your possessions and free yourself emotionally and physically? What would your perfect living environment look like? What would it feel like? What features would it have? Are you close to that ideal environment where you're living now? How could that change for the better?
For you to achieve the perfect living situation, you need to know what it is you want. Once you have set that intention, whether externally on paper or internally, you have taken the first step to achieving it. The clutter you have in your life now is very possibly the result of your uncertainty about what you want. If you don't have a clear idea, you will continue to collect things that feel as if they might lead you closer, even when they are actually leading you further, from your true intention. Suppose you have a dining room and a large kitchen. You always eat in your kitchen and leave your dining room table austere and untouched (or buried in clutter). At the same time what you really want in your life is a room for your artwork/piano/dance practice/scrapbooking/sewing. Your intention can be realized by simply rearranging the furniture. Actually a dining room table would be ideal for scrapbooking and sewing. The piano and dance, however,...
Another tool for freeing yourself from clutter and steering you toward your intention is to have a "Clutter Buddy." This is a person you feel safe with who is not attached to your stuff. When you are creating your ideal environment and sorting through things that surround you but don't support you, this person can help you feel more in control by listening when you're overwhelmed and helping you focus when you've lost sight of your goals. He or she can be a strong advocate in your quest for freedom from "stuff."
Call upon successful tools and strategies you used in your past. Make up a list of resources, emotional, spiritual, and physical, that you have used before to overcome difficult points in your life. Then determine if any of these can be used now to help you overcome present challenges.
Write down some positive affirmations and/or mantras that help you create your ideal look and feel:
- I have a beautiful, elegant, special, fun, uncluttered home.
- I have an incredible space, the kind I've always wanted.
- I have reclaimed my space and make room for the new me.
- I am opening my life to new experiences. My life is richer every day.
- I have the love/career/income/home I have always wanted.
Give yourself the freedom to be who you really want to be. Claim independence from the past and move confidently and passionately into the future. The road to freedom and independence is paved with good intentions! What will you and your clutter buddy take action on?
Karen Roehl's company is called Life Transformation. As a Clutter Coach and Professional Organizer, she motivates and supports individuals and businesses, including those with a history of chronic disorganization and ADHD, to declutter, organize, simplify, and make peace with their environment. She is also a coach to new organizers. You can call her at (425) 814-9621, e-mail her at kroehl@comcast.net, visit her at www.cluttercoach.org.
