Recently I have had to spend a
lot of time at home and I noticed more than ever before how much parts of my
house needed decluttering. It was actually bothering me and my eyes to see such
a mess and although at the time it made no sense to me, but a few days later I
received an article from a good friend and it spoke about the benefits decluttering
can have on your body and mind. Not only does an organized home look attractive
and provides one with more space, but you actually function better as a human
being as it clears out your own mind, giving you more physical space and fresh
energy. This provides clarity and allows you to release negative layers or
vibes that have been held onto because of all the “things” that surround you.
For me the clutter has several
drawbacks on my life and I have recently realized the many reasons it holds me
back. I will explain my reasons with real examples, as I always feel putting
yourself in those shoes helps you walk the road better. I had a drawer full of
old cinema tickets, business cards from restaurants I had been to, supermarket
receipts and even flyers from places I had visited. I am an emotional person
and tend to hold onto memories, except one needs to sometimes let go of such
material memories to give room for new memories. A movie you watch at the cinema
may be special at the time, but a week later a new movie is released and your
ticket will not make you hold onto the special moment you lived a week ago.
Therefore, clutter of this kind makes it
hard for you to move towards the future.
Coming back to my drawer, it is
closed and I cannot see the clutter at simple sight. Nevertheless, clutter may
be a pile of clothes on the floor or a closed stuffed drawer or in my case a
table full of papers that needed to be filed in folders. This table of papers
was on my top floor in my home and unless I would not physically go upstairs, I
didn’t have to see it. I know subconsciously I did this on purpose, I escaped
the clutter. Sadly I was just cheating on myself and not a day would go by when
my thoughts would not be collapsed by this pile of papers. It took me three
long hours to file six months or more of papers that had depleted my mind for
so long. The relief this gave me cannot be explained unless you experience it.
Therefore, unseen clutter can also
deteriorate your thinking.
My daughter has a fairly small
room and I often find it hard to breathe in there due to her piled up toys and
floor space which is seldom clear, as she sits on it and spreads all her things
around. I decided to find a solution to this problem and picked up a couple of
transparent boxes with wheels on them. I
encourage her to play and once she is done, all the toys go in these boxes and
are placed under her table or on top of her cupboards, clearing floor space and
actually allowing me to breathe. This example states the flow of positive energy that decluttering can create. If you do
not have a flow of positive energy travelling through your home, it deteriorates
your mind and in my case prevented me from breathing.
Have you ever gone out shopping
and bought something which you later realized you already had? Not only have
you wasted your time, your money and in addition have added to the already
existing clutter that was in your home, by buying this repeated item. I would
say that clutter certainly makes you less productive and you actually lose
control of your belongings. I have a family member who believes she needs to
buy only that many clothes which can be replaced by others sitting in her
closet. Therefore, if she likes something in a store, she asks herself where in
her closet will this item be shelved or hung, in order for the purchase to be
justified. I admire her philosophy because most of us are driven by fashion,
trends, sales, a need to feel good about yourself and ultimately stock up with
the thought that more material things will bring us happiness. Can you see how
this is totally erroneous and the key is in less is more!
Clutter and chaos. I am often trying to “multi task” and I am sure
most of you are too. However, in all honesty what we are really doing is
running around like headless chickens in all directions. I find this happens in
my car. I make an effort to clean it out every two weeks, but the days when it
looks like a war zone, I simply cannot focus on where I exactly need to go. I
find myself with a list of errands and for some reason miscalculate my routes
and end up being highly inefficient. A
dirty messy car invites a disturbed aimless destination.
Clutter and social embarrassment. There are people who dress in a disheveled
manner and just look very confused and messy when you see them. Often these are
the people who tend to have cluttered homes and surroundings. I remember when I
had both my children, for a long time my home was a mess and I was truly embarrassed
to entertain guests due to the state of my house. I know this was simply a
phase, but quite often these habits just remain and you end up becoming a
social outcaste due to your disorderly ways, reflecting upon your appearance in
most cases.
Solutions
In the past two weeks I have
cleared out a lot of mess in many places. I admit this clutter does not arrive
in your home over night and nor will it depart over night. It is not realistic to
expect one to clean up in one day or even spend hours on such tasks. What time
you spend decluttering is time you probably could use getting your goals and
other more important tasks finished in the day. This is a very incorrect
attitude we have and in fact spending only fifteen minutes cleaning out an area
of your room or home can provide you with so much positive energy from the clutter
you have released, that this energy you will then invest in your bigger
decisions on life. Imagine if you used slots of fifteen minutes every day, how
much clarity your mind would receive?
Material belongings are important
to our life, but you pay an emotional baggage price to carry them too. Travel light
and you will be able to see the world more clearly. If your home is open and
offers your space and light, this will generate the same space and light in
your mind. After all, don’t we often eat with our eyes? So, the exact same
thing happens with what we see in our immediate surroundings your home, your
workplace, your bedroom and even your car.
As my mother always tells me “you
never know what you have until you clean your room.”
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