On Clutter – Why and how to clear it.
When We Trim Off Dead Leaves From A Houseplant, The Healthy Parts Of The Plant Benefit.
Clutter defined: Anything in our lives that no longer serves us.
Goal: Spending time to create your unique spaces as a reflection of the current version of you.
The SIMPLE process to follow when deciding whether to hold onto any item: You are asking whether or not you like something NOW. And you are looking for a YES or NO answer.
You are not: thinking about its origin, nor thinking about how it could serve your life in the future. Just how it makes you feel RIGHT NOW.
BENEFITS:
- Helps you appreciate the now, rather than memories of the past and hopes of the future. When we hold onto things that do not serve us now, it usually happens when we hold onto the past or anticipate change in the future.
- Self-confidence returns when we let go of the old. It is about releasing the hold of this thought: that old stuff proves your life had substance.
- Letting go of old, letting go of non-useful things, will require confronting emotions. This is raw and vulnerable. Raw vulnerability brings you closer to your truth. It is transformative.
CONSIDERATIONS:
- Let your inner self know that your outer self does indeed know that this is emotional, painful, difficult, and/or excruciatingly impossible – whatever emotions comes up. By your inner-self understanding that you know this, it will fight less to stop the process.
- React to shut downs with compassion. Being kind to ourselves is a skill and can be practiced here.
- Understand that you know this is both hard and worthwhile. And, since you have already calculated the value of this process, you can rely on the value for motivation.
- While actively going through possessions and sending things to donation, say to self:
- Besides just lightening my load, I am actively bringing in the energy of abundance.
HOW TO:
- Decide for how long you will work, and what area you are going through.
- Set timers.
- One thing at a time: one area at a time, one item at a time. Consider moving things to a new area to go through them.
- Three piles: trash, donation, recycling.
- Do not allow ‘maybe’ piles. Indecision is a red flag. Ask for clarity. Make decisions quickly.
Ask some questions below for difficult items:
- “Do I love this? Enjoy this? Is it making my life a better place to be? Or, can I remove it from my life and does this feel good?”
- “Can I use it, or can I let it go?”
- “If I were at a store today would I buy this?”
- “If I met this person today, would I want to be friends with them?” (For items that were given to you or have a large association with another person).
It might be helpful at some point to begin labeling the categories of things you tend to hold on to or collect. Is it art, is it craft supplies and what kind, is it food, is it tools, is it heirlooms, is it glass pandas, is it kitchen supplies, is it receipts and papers and pamphlets and half filled notebooks? Is it books? Is it furniture? Musical instruments? DVDs? Is it decorative? Is it yard tools? House plants? Is it all of these things? You’ll realize that don’t need so many categories in your life, and start to prioritize them.