Clutter happens. It’s called life. When you come home after a long day of work, the last thing you want to accomplish is cleaning out the utility drawer and making sense of loose batteries, cords, and screws. Piles form, then another pile, and the next thing you know you are making room for more piles. It is like the piles catch a contagious disease of needing new piles to live. Consequently, survival in these cluttered areas takes a toll on our well being. We begin to feel pushed around and reformatted to fit old habits. Our new, daily self has little room to grow. Some people call this hoarding, while others prefer the term, “collecting.” Either way, the accumulation of unnecessary items causes blockage, a sense of heaviness that looms when peering into that overflowing drawer. Unless the Hoarders TV crew has staked your house, we all find ourselves in similar surroundings one time or another.

Now that you are feeling cramped in your personal space, there may be room for persuasion. Aside from cleanliness, decluttering can be cathartic. The connection can be made of decluttering personal space to clearing one’s head. Ultimately, you are removing the baggage that weighs you down. Even if it is as simple as combing through the sock drawer and discarding the stragglers, it makes life simple: easy come, easy go. Decluttering can also be seen as cleansing your palate. The removal of items from various stages in your life can remind you of the present moment, making room for the life you are living now.

Keep in mind these key points when you decide it is time to brighten your home.

1. Commit.
Make a commitment. Look at your calendar and see when you have a small window of time to carve out for decluttering. Break down the task by room, cabinet, closet, or whatever works best for you. Even the smallest space of declutter will leave you inspired.

2. Experience.
As you encounter relics of your past, allow the memories and feelings to surface. Pay attention to what you remember and what you are harboring. For example, it may be time to recycle clothes from your youth. Holding on to clothes that no longer fit only sends a negative message; you want to relinquish their control over your happiness. It is time to start fresh.

3. Rejuvenate.
Once you have made room for new space, create. Celebrate this new, refreshing ambiance that allows you to shine. Think of this step as connecting to your passions. Perhaps a new coat of paint may bring a calm and relaxed tone to your home. Or, you may be in need of energy and warmth in your life. It may be rewarding to use the colors of the chakras, energy sources, as a guide for what is needed in your life.

4. Enjoy.
Ah, time to experience your new sanctuary. Enjoy the centering effect your new place brings to your well being and see where the creative juices take you. You may be surprised at what a little decluttering can do to your motivation and inspiration.

Overall, you want your space to feel good. Your space deserves special treatment, inside and out. Just as less thoughts creates clear-headedness, so does a minimalistic approach to housekeeping. Therefore, you may find yourself more mindful of how decluttering affects your mood and wellbeing. And, next time, you may think twice before bringing home a free t-shirt or promotional water container.