Monday, August 8, 2011

Clutter = Energy Drain

I remember a few years back attending a conference where one of the presenters spoke on “clutter”.  The more clutter in one’s life  would lead to decreased energy.  Not only does it decrease energy but it is also a distraction; thus, making it hard to complete the tasks at hand.  Clutter leads to losing items and wasted time trying to find them (if you can).  It clouds your natural energy field, can effect your work performance, your health and ultimately your life.
Since that presentation I have tried to make a mental note of what is “cluttering” my life.  I remember coming home from the presentation and I decide to take on the kitchen closet.   This is where we kept the trash, recycle bins, trash bags, phone books, and all the dog stuff.   It was easy since the trash was close.  I pitched everything that we hadn’t used in the prior 6 months.  I added another shelf for neatness – so we can see what we have.  Just by doing that small area-it made a big difference in energy.  When we would go to give our dog a treat or take out the trash it was an up lifter instead of a downer. 
Do You Have Clutter In Your Life?  Don’t know where to start?  Here are a few tips:
·         Work on one room at a time.  Pick the room you spend the most time in for starters.  Pitch items you haven’t used in the last 6 month.  If you can’t pitch them-donate them
·         Give yourself a full day or a full week per room/area if needed (remember you didn’t collect all this clutter overnight)
·         Set a time limit for cleaning each day…1 to 3 hours so you don’t get overwhelmed
·         Once you have decided to pitch or donate your items- put them in the trash or in your car to take to the donation destination.  Do NOT  “store” them in another location in your home.
·         Do a little each day- for some of you it may have taken years to accumulate all your clutter
We recently put new carpet in our home.  I remember thinking I’d rather move than ever install new carpet again -as everything that touches the floor has to come up.  That means everything in your closets that are on the floor has to be moved.  Books and papers in bookshelves have to come out so they can be moved.  It was a lot of work-but now all our closets are cleaned, book shelves are de-cluttered and the energy in our home is boosted. 
Make a commitment today to work on de-cluttering you life and adding energy back into your life.