ClearClutter

My wife and I recently began doing some home renovation and had become increasingly aware of (and overwhelmed by) the amount of "stuff" we had accumulated over the years. Closets, cabinets, bookshelves, and the storage shed were all jam-packed and overflowing with so much stuff that we had trouble finding things that we knew were in there somewhere.

Also, during the process of moving into my new office, even though it was just a couple of offices away from my old one, I was forced to physically touch years worth of accumulation of "stuff".

Much of this "stuff" fell into the category prefixed by the delusional, "Someday when I have time I'll..."

Catch up on all those journals, articles, and magazines that have stacked up unread

Fix all those items that would be perfectly good if I just worked on them a little while

Go through and sort those junk drawers and boxes that contained unknown items, but were almost certainly too good to throw away

Then, during a recent visit to Chicago my wife and I were walking a short distance to our hotel after having a wonderful Italian dinner. The city was experiencing its first snow flurries of the season and it was quite cold (for desert-dwellers anyway). We dashed into a bookstore primarily to get warm for the home-stretch walk to the hotel.

While we were browsing and warming up we came across a book, "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" by Karen Kingston. Regardless of whether you subscribe to the principles of Feng Shui, the book offers a refreshing viewpoint of how to get into a frame of mind that allows us to part with our masses of accumulated clutter.

Well, this book proved to be the spark that we were seeking. Now, rather than half-heartedly shuffling "stuff" from one storage area to another, we began moving it directly to the used book store, donating it to local charities, passing it on to friends that could put it to use, or dumping it into the garbage.

The feeling as you get rid of things that have worn out their usefulness is nothing short of invigorating. And by clearing out objects that are taking up space in our homes and offices, we also free up cluttered space inside our heads.

Just seeing those looming and ever-growing piles of papers, books, and magazines is enough to make us feel tired, overwhelmed, and as though we're suffocating; almost sacrificing ourselves, our creativity, and our peace of mind to the cruel gods of clutter.

But once we take the first steps toward jettisoning these things that no longer have any place in our lives, we open up brand new possibilities for ourselves. It's as though we now have an opportunity to breathe more freely and begin to feel renewed and unencumbered with fewer distractions.

I often encourage clients to let go of things that have lost the significance in their lives in order to make room for new people, things, and opportunities. Our clutter-clearing experience has reemphasized the importance of being vigilant in this pursuit. By letting go, we are symbolically opening our arms and minds to new growth.