Clutters Side Effects: How the State of Your Home Affects Your Life

Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with which you resonate on a subconscious level. Clutter and untidiness within each of these areas causes constriction and inertia in the corresponding aspects of your life.

CLUTTER IN THE KITCHEN

The kitchen has been called the "heart of the home," and with good reason. Here we are nourished and provided for, even if we are dining on a frozen entrée zapped in the microwave rather than a homemade meal lovingly presented by Mom. An untidy and disorganized kitchen makes it hard to nourish yourself and others, on both physical and metaphysical levels. How you care for your kitchen is a clue about whether you are giving proper attention to your own nourishment and sources of abundance. Cleaning up and de-cluttering your kitchen opens up space for you to receive the support and comfort that you need in life.

LIVING AND DINING ROOM CLUTTER

These are spaces where you mingle with and honor your relationships with family and friends. Here you engage with the world while being at home through watching television, reading the paper, or arguing politics with old friends over dinner. Clutter can turn these social spaces into dens of isolation, especially if the mess is so bad that it has been years since you've invited people over. Look around your living and dining rooms to see what they say about your relationship with the rest of the world. Are you hiding your true self from others, burying it in clutter, or putting it on display here?

CLUTTERED HALLWAYS

Hallways are the arteries and highways of your home. Think of clutter in your hallways as a traffic jam that prevents important connections between different areas of your home and your life. Look at your hallways to see how you feel about your life's path: are they well lit and easily navigable, or do they trip you up? If you feel a disconnect between work and family, self and others, what you need and your obligations, it may be time to give your hallways a good clearing out.

BATHROOM CLUTTER

Bathing and anointing the body is a preparatory ritual for many religious rites both ancient and contemporary. On a daily basis we use this space to prepare ourselves to meet the world. Clutter in the bathroom can indicate a devaluation of self-worth, a lack of attention to self that goes beyond the physical. A clean, well-decorated bathroom can become a tranquil sanctuary for rejuvenation and self-care. Scented soaps, attractive accessories, and fragrant candles have a place here. Beautifying your bathroom by eliminating clutter and disorder and transforming it into a place of refuge will bring a sense of the sacred into your morning and evening personal-care rituals.

CLUTTER IN THE BEDROOM

Adults' bedrooms are for sleeping and intimacy, and they should function as places of renewal for self and relationships. Clutter in the bedroom is enervating without being restful. If you feel "wired and tired," creating order out of chaos in this most personal space can help you relax and let go of the stress of the day. Then you can get a good night's sleep or enjoy some special time with your partner.

CLUTTERED CLOSETS

Closets represent things that are hidden, unknown, or unrecognized. When we fill our closets with clutter, we stifle our ability to be intuitive and insightful. Cluttered closets can indicate problems that you may not be consciously aware of but which impede your progress through life, work, and relationships nonetheless. Keeping the closet door closed is not an effective solution.

ATTIC AND BASEMENT CLUTTER

A cluttered attic creates a feeling of being under pressure. It's hard to feel optimistic about the future when there's so much stuff "hanging over your head." Ancestor issues reside up there, along with all those boxes and chests holding the detritus of generations. And the basement and other below-ground storage areas are considered abodes of the subconscious, so watch your step and get that clutter cleaned up!

CLUTTER IN YOUR GARAGE

Think of your car as a symbol of your mobility, independence, and ability to be self-directed in life. If there's so much stuff piled up in your garage that you can barely fit the car in there, you may be hampered or overly cautious moving forward in life as well.

Stop thinking of clutter-clearing as a tremendous chore, and start thinking of it as one of the most effective self-improvement tactics available to you. Every magazine and piece of paper you recycle, every book you give to the library, every knick-knack and item of clothing you release to a new owner creates space in your life for new insight, energy, joy, and experiences to come in!

© 2003 Stephanie Roberts

[excerpted from "Clutter-Free Forever!", Lotus Pond Press, 2003]

About The Author

GOT CLUTTER?!? Clearing out clutter is the most important and powerful way to dramatically improve the feng shui of your home. Stephanie Roberts' "CLUTTER-FR*EE FOREVER!" Home Coaching Program provides all the insight, motivation, and step-by-step guidance you need in an in-depth ebook and 6 weekly lessons. Plus, you can join our Affiliate Program and earn a commission on every referral sale. Find out more at http://www.clutter-free-forever.com; stephanie@clutterfreeforever.com

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Six ADD Tips for Organizing Everyday Things

Life with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be a constant... Read More

Can You Really Improve Your Organisation Skills

I'm sure most of you have heard of Zig Ziglar... Read More

Organization Tips - How to Organise Your Computer Files

Everytime Mary had to find a file on her computer,... Read More

Organize Your Children & Save Your Sanity

It may be difficult to relate saving money with organization... Read More

How Much Is Your Time Worth?

Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work?Do You Really Know... Read More

How to Prevent Piles of Paper!

If you have piles of paper all over your desk,... Read More

Spring Clean Your Life

Spring is here and its time to sweep away the... Read More

Four Easy Steps to An Organized Closet

The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More

Give Up Control to Get Control

For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove... Read More

25 Tips and Tricks for an Organized Move

Worried because you're moving soon? This really doesn't have to... Read More

Introducing the Power Hour Concept to Plough Through Mountainous Tasks

Have you ever been totally overwhelmed by a massive task... Read More

Compartmentalize

The word "compartmentalize" means to separate into distinct parts. I... Read More

Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have

"Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More

Ten Signs That Your Life Is Cluttered

How do you know if you need to clean out?... Read More

Four Tips For Clearing The Clutter

Spring?. Fresh breezes through open windows, sleeping trees come awake... Read More

Three Effortless Ways to Win the Paperwork Battle

Buried under mountains of paperwork from your company? Do the... Read More

The Clutter Factor: From Packrativity to Productivity

? Are you embarrassed when you walk into your home... Read More

5 Steps From Clutter To Control

Are you overwhelmed by clutter wherever you turn? Here are... Read More

Clear Your Clutter and Free Your Life

Whatever your clutter problem the answer is the same: make... Read More

Organization Tips - How to Set Up Your Database

What's in a Name?Everything.What do you do with all the... Read More

Get Organised and Transform Your Life

It takes effort to get results, and not just any... Read More

5 Easy Tips on Light that You Can Use to Improve Your Day

Light, Work, and YouWinter is here-and with it, short days,... Read More

Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces

Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such... Read More

The Magnificent 7: Tips for Cleaning Up Clutter

Clutter is postponed decisions®. Here are some suggestions to simplify... Read More

10 Myths of Clutter Clearing

1) It's easy to have a good clear out: Not... Read More

It?s Spring Cleaning Time? Let?s Make Room For Abundance!

I gathered some things you can do this spring while... Read More

10 Tips on Color Coding Your Paper: From Chaos to Coherence

Color-There Is No SubstituteIn anatomical illustrations you see the brain's... Read More

Clutter Campaign - Select Your Tools

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More

The Organized Move: Packing Made Simple

(This is the second in a series of three articles... Read More

Getting Things Done: A Guide To Next-Action Lists

Getting Things Done (GTD), is a productivity methodology designed by... Read More

New Business? Changing Careers? Youve Got a Whole New Ball Game

When you embark on a life transition, the skills that... Read More

The Love It Or Lose It Principle: One Simple Key to Living Clutter-Free Forever

It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend... Read More

Thinking Outside the Box

Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent... Read More