How to Create More Space and Abundance in your Home
The feeling of vastness and space is at once linked with peace, serenity and abundance. No surprise then that every time you clear out the clutter and the junk that somehow manages to accumulate of it’s own accord, there is a distinct feeling of accomplishment, followed by a sense of relief, openness and calm.
Almost all of us are victims of the culture of ‘stuff’ brought about by the ready access to the multitude and variety of purchasing options. It actually takes a very focused and concerted effort to determine that we often want much more than we actually need.
We are all easily guilty of ‘yet another’; yet another beautiful leather handbag; yet another pair of running shoes; yet another gorgeous pair of stilettos. Each may bring temporary pleasure, but in the long run, simply adds to the accumulation of stuff.
Decluttering, tidying, getting rid of the junk is sometimes an overwhelming chore, especially if you feel that there is more than you can physically do all at once, or all in a day.
However, if you’re feeling ready for a clear out and a clean out, we hope that these 5 simple tips will give you some inspiration.
Top 5 tips to begin creating more space and more abundance in your life
How to Begin Creating Space and Abundance
1. Check in with your emotions
How does clutter really make you feel?
It’s really easy to live with accumulated stuff that has gathered over time – magazine pile here, shoes in a corner there, books on the bedside table. Things often gather without us really giving thought to how they got there (usually because it’s easier than putting it away or throwing it out) or why they are there (typically because there’s no other space for it).
Clutter gathers as we don’t take stock of the ‘stuff’ we have and continue to gather more without actually thinking. What we don’t realise is that clutter is actually very draining on our energy. Without realising it, our brain processes and needs to compensate for the things we leave out – we have to mentally choose to ignore it, or we have to learn to negotiate around it.
Once you have decided that you need to have a clear out, take a step back and begin looking around your living spaces with a more critical eye. Walk into a room as if for the first time and take stock of the things you have around you – what is there that can be thrown out, given away or stored more tidily.
Do what you can, as soon as you notice it; books that belong back on the book shelf, papers that can be filed away; small things add up to bigger clear outs Don’t expect things to change over night, but make a conscious decision to keep things tidy.
Set aside a specific day and time, in which you will tackle each room and decide how you will tidy and declutter.
A great way to force yourself to tidy up is to invite people over, friends, colleagues or even your boss. Give yourself enough time to actually tidy, rather than simply stuffing things away out of sight.
2. Set your intentions
Once you have had a good look around and decided, when you’ll be able to complete the rest of the tidying process. Set your intention to make the room as clear, tidy and as peaceful as you can make it.
We all each have our own versions and acceptable standards of neat, clean and tidy. Decide on what you think will be the ideal and work towards that. Often, we hold on to objects because we think of the future: ‘I might need that later’ or ‘What a waste’ or we are holding on to an emotional past ‘Oh I remember where I got that from’. Either way, neither actually serves the current present.
Whether you’re prone to future proof excuses or you are emotionally invested in the objects around you, remind yourself, that things do not make you who you are.
Things that you no longer need or can no longer use, can go to someone else who will be able to put it to better use.
Clearing and decluttering, helps us make space both mentally and physically for new things, and new experiences.
3. Make time to declutter
Tidying and decluttering, much like cleaning, is best done on a routine, so if it’s scheduled in – perhaps 15 minutes after cleaning each room, it will feel less like a chore and more like the extension of simply cleaning and tidying up your space.
Decluttering is an iterative process, once you start, it becomes a little bit easier each time and slowly, it become habitual to simply put things away as soon as you are done with it.
4. Borrow from Marie Kondo
Even if you haven’t read the book you must have heard of the best-selling book in which she describes her own Kon Mari method of tidying. No surprise that Marie Kondo is from Japan, a country famed for both it’s tight living spaces and peaceful zen-like environment.
In order to achieve a that zen-like clarity in your home, what the Kon Mari methods recommends is to declutter by category; clothes, books etc. As you look at each object in your possession, ask yourself ‘how does this object make me feel?’ then only keep the ones that truly ‘spark joy’
5. Place things ‘home’
Once you have started on your process of decluttering, everything should have a ‘home’ where it belongs, where you can easily find it and once used, replaced.
You may have noticed that clutter often starts in little ways; books left out, clothes not put away. One of the surest ways to keep on top of things is to purposefully put things back where they belong, once they have been used.
Living in a home that is tidy and organised, often appears to be a lot of work. It may be in the beginning of the decluttering process, but as you get more habitual about the process, it starts becoming more routine and even more of a habit.
For each room that you have organised and tidied out perfectly, take a picture to remind you how it can be.
Sit back and enjoy your spaces every now and then; and when you can look around you and say ‘Thanks’ for all the abundance already around you.
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