How to Eliminate Clutter

Frustrated with never-ending clutter and disorganization?

So many professional women spend all their time working, running a business and taking care of the family that there isn’t enough time left to take care of the home in the way they’d like. Before they know it, one or more areas of their home have become overwhelmed with clutter. They try to keep on top of it, but there are so many other things to do and they reach the point where it gets out of hand.

It can be quite a dilemma because you don’t have the time, energy or motivation to be able to deal with it. Follow these 5 tips to help you regain control.

1. Understand what clutter is exactly – such as things that hold negative memories and associations; things you no longer need, use, want or love; things you do want and use that are disorganized; things that are unfinished or broken. Understanding what type of clutter you have is the first step to eliminating it for good.

2. Know how your clutter affects you. Everything has energy, including your stuff. This means that it is connected to you energetically, which is why you feel more and more tired and lethargic and unable to deal with it. The more you have, where it’s located and the longer it’s been there all add to the stress. Clutter can keep you stuck in the past and create confusion and disorganization in your life.

3. Understanding your clutter helps you to see why it’s so overwhelming. You have memories and associations tied up in everything you own. You are connected to it emotionally and energetically. This can make it very difficult to let go of things, even if you don’t need, use, want or love them or if they evoke negative memories. They keep you stuck.

4. Eliminating clutter is difficult when you think it’s only about the stuff. Understanding what you have and why you’re keeping it helps you gain control. It gets worse when you don’t address the core of the problem – such as why you’re holding on to things from the past or why you’re holding on to things that have negative associations for you. Keeping these things only keeps you stuck in the past and maintains an attachment to negative situations or people.

5. Understanding the clutter is the first step to eliminating it. When you know what you’re keeping and why, it’s easier to let go of it. If you have a lot and it’s overwhelming, get help from a professional. If you want to do it yourself but don’t know where to start, just start with one thing. Or set a timer for 5 – 30 minutes each day while you address a cluttered area. It doesn’t have to be more than that, the momentum will soon build.

The key to eliminating clutter is to first understand what type of clutter you have, how it’s affecting you and why you’re keeping it. After that, dealing with it becomes easier. When you’re overwhelmed with clutter it’s never about the stuff itself – it’s always about what’s behind the stuff. Get to that and you’ll end the frustration.