So, I hope you all are doing well with this little endeavor! I am! Every day I thow out or rehome one grocery sized bag of stuff 🙂 I am doing really really well with it. Know a quick and easy way to rehome that stack of romance novels you have on a shelf? The local public library or nursing home just love used paperbacks! Nursing homes, especially the Activities Department, are always looking for donations and are really grateful for whatever they get!  And dont forget the Salvation Army for those clothes that just dont fit right anymore. Keep plugging!

Light and Love

Sister Bridget

Conquering the Clutter "Yeah, Buts"
by Stephanie Roberts

Is your home filled with a lot of stuff that you don’t really use or need, but that you just can’t seem to part with? Do you make quick progress in the first stages of clutter-clearing, only to hit a wall when the easy stuff is gone and you’re faced with difficult decisions about what really counts as a "treasure"?

If you are challenged by clutter it’s likely that your inner voice is saying "yeah, but…" a lot as you try to make your keep-or-toss decisions.

For example, you might pick something out of box or a closet and say to yourself, "I guess I don’t really need to keep this," but before you can get it into a things-to-give-away bag, your inner voice pipes up with "Yeah, but…"
– "…it’s pretty"
– "…it was my grandmother’s"
– "…it was a gift from so-and-so"
– "…I paid a lot for it"
– "…I haven’t used it yet"
– "…I might wear it again someday"
– "…it will fit after I lose some weight," or
– "…I’ll feel guilty if I throw/give it away.".

Every time you pick something up and can’t decide what to do with it, stop and listen for a "yeah but" comment from your inner voice.

Once you start listening to your "yeah buts", you’ll get a clearer idea of the particular language of concern that stops you from letting go of things. Probably you will find that certain clutter decisions are much more difficult for you than others. For example, I have no qualms whatsoever about tossing out old letters and greeting cards, but getting rid of clothes that I haven’t worn in five years because they are a size too small is very difficult for me. What this really means is that I am secure in knowing that the people who love me love me, but I am not at peace with the changes that middle age has brought to my body and don’t want to accept that I’m not as slim as I used to be.

Someone else, however, might make quick work of cleaning out their clothes closets, only to come to a dead stop when faced with a 20-year collection of postcards and greeting cards. Their rational mind says, "this is a box of paper clutter, I ought to just toss it out." Their heart cries out, "I can’t throw away my friends! I can’t throw away my relatives! What kind of an unloving, ungrateful person would that make me?!" So back the box goes, into storage, and another would-be declutter is left feeing guilty and confused – guilty for holding on to clutter, guilty for wanting to throw it out, and confused by why it’s so hard to get rid of things they’d rather part with.

With postcards and greeting cards, it really is the thought that counts. A greeting card is just that: a greeting, a paper "hello there." It deserves to be appreciated, but appreciating the gesture doesn’t mean you need to keep the card forever. The same is true of gift items that don’t suit you or your home. Ask yourself what your friends and relatives intended by sending you those cards and gifts; did they want you to know they were thinking of you, or did they intend to fill your home with clutter? Anyone who cares for you enough to send you a card or gift also wants you live comfortably and happily in a well-kept home that suits and supports you – and that means getting rid of your clutter.

So many of our "yeah, buts" have to do with past memories or potential future usefulness. Holding on to this stuff fills our heads and hearts with "what if" and "if only" messages, which make it harder to live fully in the present. When your closet is full of "skinny" clothes, for example, every time you open it to look for something to wear you are reminded that you used to be slimmer, that you’re not happy with the size you are now, and that you’re still hoping to lose some weight "some day." As a result, each time you reach for a "not-skinny" garment, you feel like a failure. What an unpleasant emotional message to burden yourself with every day! When your closets contain only clothes that are the right size and that fit your lifestyle and personality as well as your body, choosing an outfit becomes self-affirming and empowering instead of belittling.

Consciously remind yourself that you need to make a choice: are you going to go on living with clutter, or are you going to choose to move closer to your clutter-free goal? The clearer your vision of how you want your life to be without clutter, the easier it will be for you to make those difficult decisions.

By paying close attention to the "yeah but" messages that are keeping you from making clutter-clearing decisions, you gain insight into the emotions that contributed to all this stuff piling up in the first place. The key to conquering the "yeah, buts" is to remember that these are the second thoughts that pop up in response to your first thought, which was, "I guess I don’t really need to keep this." That’s the voice you should be listening to.

© 2005 Stephanie Roberts

Overwhelmed? I was when I first looked around 🙂 Where do I start? What do I save? What do I toss? Where do I put stuff in the meantime? Truthfully, I almost have up and stopped de-cluttering because things were actually looking worse when I first started — (does that sound familiar to any of you????) but I stuck with it and I have a real sense of accomplishment and a neat and tidy place and lots more room, too! So, hang in there, chunk it down and keep on keepin on! You will be glad you did!
Light and Love, Sister Bridget

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Clutter-Clearing Tips that Work
by Stephanie Roberts

Coping with clutter is rarely easy. There’s more involved than just catching up on overdue housework, and staying focused and motivated over the weeks or months it may take to get the job done can be one of the biggest challenges. Here are some tips to help you stick with it until it’s done:

1. "How do you eat an elephant?… One bite at a time!" That’s a good way to approach clutter clearing: one "bite-sized" task at a time. An entire house, or even a room, of clutter can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on a single small area – one shelf in a bookcase or one drawer in the kitchen, for example – before moving on to the next.

2. Don’t expect to get it done in a weekend. It probably took a long time for all that stuff to pile up, so make peace up front with the fact that getting rid of it is going to take some time, too. Plan to do a little bit every day over a longer period of time, rather than waiting until you have a large chunk of free time available to devote to clutter-clearing (which may never happen!).

3. Set time goals, not task goals. If you’ve decided to declutter the kitchen cabinets on Saturday morning, for example, but it’s really an all-day job, you’ve set yourself up for failure. Instead, set a goal to work on the kitchen for three hours on Saturday. That way, when the time it up, you’ll have met your goal even if the task itself is not entirely completed.

4. Use a timer to get over the "don’t-wannas." Tell yourself you only have to focus on clutter for 5 minutes. Pick your bite-sized target (one drawer, one shelf, or one pile of paper) set your timer, and go go go for five minutes. When the timer chimes, you can stop… or keep going, now that you’ve established some momentum.

5. If you just can’t make a "keep or toss" decision about something, put it in a "for now" box and plan to return to it later when you are feeling more decisive. Items that you do wish to keep, but that have no "home" in your home, go in a separate box with other things you need to make space for. This way you end up with pre-sorted boxes of stuff you still need to deal with, rather than leaving things where you found them (which is not where they belong, or you wouldn’t have a clutter problem).

6. Be prepared to make more of a mess before things look better. You can’t do a thorough job of clearing out a closet, for example, unless you begin by removing everything that’s in there. That means you’re going to create a big heap o’stuff while you are sorting and purging. Don’t mistake the temporary mess for lack of progress; just keep doing a little bit at a time until you’ve gone through it all and made decisions about what to keep and where to keep it.

7. Get rid of the excess first, before you think about organizing and storage. One of the most common mistakes people make is to buy more storage containers before they’ve decluttered. Eventually, they end up with a home cluttered with boxes and bags and bins of other clutter. Sort and purge first, then tackle storage.

8. Reward your accomplishments, both great and small. Finished the hall closet today? Good for you; now make an appointment for that manicure you promised yourself. Plan in advance what treats you will earn as you reach your clutter-clearing milestones; knowing you have a specific reward coming will help you stay motivated to stick with the process until it is done.

Of course, the biggest reward of all is the joy and convenience of living in a home that is free of clutter. Don’t wait another day to get started!

© 2005 Stephanie Roberts

Having trouble getting started? Here is an article to help you get going! And please post a comment or two and let me know how this is going !
Light and Love, Sister Bridget

When ‘Just Do It’ Isn’t Enough:
Coping with the Emotional Aspects of Clutter Clearing
by Stephanie Roberts

One reason so many clutter-clearing efforts fail or remain uncompleted is that we have this idea that all that it takes to get rid of clutter is a little effort and determination. While a "just do it" attitude does help you get started and persevere, clutter-clearing is not quite so simple as that. Running unprepared into the not-so-simple aspects of clutter can bring all of our good intentions to a halt.

For every piece of clutter that has piled up because we’ve been too busy or too distracted to deal with it, there’s probably at least one piece that you have avoided dealing with for emotional reasons. The underlying problem is not procrastination, it’s that dealing with clutter means dealing with our own difficult emotions:

• Getting rid of clothes we’ll never fit into again      means accepting our current shape and level (or lack) of fitness.
• Getting rid of an expensive item we never use      means admitting that we made a poor decision when we bought it.
• Getting rid of books and magazines we don’t have      time to read means accepting that we will never have enough time or      attention to explore every topic that’s of interest to us.
• Getting rid of possessions remaining after a loved      one has died means coming to terms with our loss and grief.

Acknowledge to yourself that clearing out your clutter will involve some emotional risk. Start by exploring why keeping certain kinds of clutter feels comforting to you. For example:

• If you grew up with very frugal parents who taught      you not to be wasteful, getting rid of items that are still useful may      trigger feelings of guilt. (This is very common among the "Baby      Boomer" generation, whose parents may have experienced hardship and      deprivation during the Great Depression and/or World War II years.)
• If you grew up poor and hungry, surrounding      yourself with material goods may feel reassuring that you will always have      enough.
• If you suffer from low self-esteem or come from an      abusive environment, you may unconsciously feel that you don’t deserve      beautiful surroundings, or that you will be punished for trying to create      them for yourself.
• If you have experienced a difficult loss through      the death of a loved one or the end of a marriage, getting rid of that      person’s things can feel like a betrayal of your love.
• If you have an attic or basement full of supplies      for a hobby you hoped would become a career, clearing it out may feel like      giving up on your dreams, or it may force a confrontation with the fact      that you are getting older.
• If you lack confidence in pursuing a long-held      dream, keeping your clutter can keep you from having to go out and      actually do it.

Healing and growth come from recognizing your feelings, no matter what they are. If your enthusiasm for clutter clearing suddenly turns into feelings of anger, resentment at the task itself, or a vague sense of anxiety, that’s a sign to pause and reflect on what deeper feelings are being triggered.

Many of our reasons for hanging on to clutter are, at their core, about fear: fear that we won’t be equal to the challenges of the future, and fear of confronting our regrets about the past. Clutter can be comforting; it acts as a buffer between us and reality.

Here are some points to help you maintain a perspective of clarity as you work on your clutter:

• Living clutter-free does not mean living in a      sterile environment; it means getting rid of the excess so that everything      around you is there for a reason.
• The past is over and the future isn’t here yet.      Confronting the emotions raised by clutter will make living in the present      less threatening.
• In the course of clutter clearing, you may get rid      of something that you later wish you’d kept. Emotionally healthy people do      feel regret; but then they let it go, trusting that an equal or better      item will be available if they need it.
• Letting go of regrets about your present clutter      will help free you from the fear of regret that drives the accumulation of      future clutter
• People who are able to live without clutter trust      themselves to make good choices. As you become more conscious of what you      allow into and keep in your home, you will develop a higher level of trust      your own decisions.
• Hoarding against an uncertain future reveals a      lack of faith in the ability of the Universe to provide what you need at      the time you need it. The antidote is to focus on gratitude for all that      you now have, and for all the ways in which you are already being provided      for.

If difficult feelings come up for you as you work through your clutter, acknowledge them. You may discover that you just aren’t ready to confront some tasks or part with some things yet. It is self-defeating to push yourself all at once through changes that are too large for you today. Be gentle with yourself, take baby steps, and work at your own pace.

Remember that the space you create by releasing clutter will allow all kinds of gifts to flow into your life, on the physical, spiritual, and emotional levels. Letting go of excess makes room for blessings.

© 2003 Stephanie Roberts

Well, you all knew this was coming, didn’t you? SO, for those of you who are on the fence about taking out the trash – here you go! The suggestions below don’t conflict with any of the work you might be doing with spellmaker, so don’t worry about that J Everything below can only help!
Light and Love

Sister Bridget

How Clutter Affects Your Love Life
by Stephanie Roberts

Clutter in any area of your home is a sign of stuck, stagnant energy. The more clutter you have, the more sluggish the energy becomes. When the areas of your home associated with romance are cluttered and untidy, your love life is affected as well. From a feng shui perspective, the three places in your home that have the strongest impact on your love life are your bedroom, the Relationship Area (I’ll tell you how to find that in a moment), and the space around your front door. Here’s why:

Clutter in the Bedroom
Your bedroom is strongly associated with the intimacy of a romantic relationship. Clutter in the bedroom can contribute to fatigue, irritability, lack of focus, and difficulty sleeping. When you and your partner are tired, cranky, and distracted much of the time, your relationship is probably not getting the quality attention it needs and deserves. If you are single, a cluttered bedroom will make it more difficult for a new relationship to get started; all that stuck energy literally makes it hard for you to meet someone new. And that’s before a potential partner gets a good look at the mess you are living in! Decluttering your bedroom is an excellent way to shake all that stuck energy loose and make room for a new relationship.

Clutter in the Relationship Area
The feng shui "ba gua" is a map of the energetic influences of a space. Some people use the ba gua according to the compass directions; with this method, the Relationship Area is the southwest sector of your home or of a specific room. Western feng shui orients the ba gua to the entry to a space; with this method, the Relationship area is the back right corner of the home or of a room. Instead of wondering which method to use, why not check out them both? Look around the SW sector of your home, and in the SW part of your bedroom. Now check the room(s) in the right-rear corner of the house, and look at the far right corner of your bedroom. Like a wet blanket thrown over a fire, clutter in any of these areas can smother the passion and intensity in your romance. You aren’t much fun to be around when you feel depressed, indecisive, ineffective, creatively blocked, overly emotional, or too lethargic to care – which is how you are likely to feel about your love life if your Relationship areas are filled with clutter! Find these areas within your home and bedroom, and make them your top priority for clutter-clearing attention.

Clutter Around the Front Door
The third major factor is the area around your front door. The main entrance is called "the Mouth of Chi" in feng shui, because it has the strongest influence on how chi (energy) flows into your home. You can’t nourish your body without opening your mouth to eat. Similarly, your home can’t benefit from fresh, vital chi if the front door is blocked with clutter or rarely used. Go take a look at your front door. Does it open all the way, or have you stored things behind it? Is your foyer or front hall clean and welcoming, or is it filled with stuff you haven’t gotten around to putting away or getting rid of? When was the last time you used your front door?

The front door is associated with opportunities. If you’ve been trying to meet someone new without success, getting rid of clutter around the front door and using that entry more often are a good way to shift that stuck energy. You may find that opportunities to connect with someone new come to your attention more often, and that you are more likely to take advantage of them instead of feeling so tired you’d rather stay home. If you are in a relationship, a cluttered front entry can contribute to feelings of boredom and being stuck in a rut with each other. Opening the front door more widely and frequently is a good way to breathe new life into a less-than-exciting romantic connection.

When you have cleared the clutter from important areas of your home, you should see a shift for the better in your love life. For those who are single and looking for love, making space in your home literally creates space for a new relationship to come in. That new partner may manifest for you right away, or it may take time for the energy shifts to result in a new connection. Either way, the space you create by getting rid of clutter will help to lift your spirits, improve your mood, and increase your energy — which will make you more enjoyable and attractive to everyone you meet, old friends and new.

If you are in a partnership that has not been going well, clutter-clearing alone is unlikely to solve all of your relationship problems. However, by clearing out key spaces you create mental and emotional space for greater clarity about the issues and behavior patterns that contribute to difficulties in your marriage or partnership. With greater clarity comes a greater capacity for wise decisions and appropriate action. You may even find that releasing clutter results in releasing a foundering relationship as well. Accept that it’s all for the best, and focus on the new space you have created – in your heart as well as in your home – for a new and better love to come along.

© 2005 Stephanie Roberts

OK, here is the second article about taking out the trash and why its so important! Please, you guys, leave me some comments about this stuff, let me know if its helpful , and what tips you have tried and found really useful.

Light and Love

Sister Bridget

What Clutter Clearing Can Do For You
by Stephanie Roberts

You can get a pretty good idea of the benefits of clutter clearing simply by imagining your life free of all the negative effects of clutter: lack of focus and clarity; feelings of being professionally, creatively, spiritually, and/or romantically stuck; insufficient time and attention for self and family; increased stress, irritability and depression. Wouldn’t it be great to be free of all these?

No matter what other factors may be dragging you down, I guarantee you that clearing your clutter will dramatically improve your mood and energy. And then any other problems you are confronting won’t seem quite so bad.

When you first start clutter clearing you may be surprised at the emotions triggered by the simple act of dealing with your stuff. You think you’re just cleaning out your home, but what you’re really doing is rooting around in dusty corners of your psyche and coming eyeball-to-eyeball with unresolved business from the past. The personal relics that lurk within your clutter – college papers, family memorabilia, detritus from a long-dead marriage – can be easier to ignore than to carry to the dump, which is why they’ve been haunting the back of your closet for so many years.

As you persevere with clutter clearing a moment will come when you realize how much lighter and happier you feel. In the process of coping with your clutter, you’ve reconnected with your inner self, with dreams and wishes long ignored. Those you’ve outgrown can be released with a fond smile. Those that make your heart leap with recognition and longing… well, now you have the space, time, and energy to pursue them.

Clutter clearing gets you out of your rut. It shakes loose frozen aspects of your soul and allows them to journey into your heart where they belong and where you can listen to and act upon them.

Eventually, you will find yourself turning to clutter clearing instead of aspirin or caffeine when you notice that you’re not as clear-headed, focused or insightful as you’d like to be. If you’re feeling lethargic and don’t want to exercise, you’ll know to examine whether you’ve allowed a zone of stagnation to creep in around the couch (where you are most likely to be having lazy thoughts in the first place). If you can’t seem to decide on priorities for your business, you’ll realize it’s time to clear off the desk and catch up on paperwork. And if you’re not eating as well as you should, you’ll remember that clearing off the kitchen counter and cleaning out the fridge will help get your eating habits back on track.

What this all boils down to is that managing your clutter helps you feel like less of a victim and puts you back in control of your moods and your life. You have greater confidence in your abilities and decisions, so you feel more hopeful and optimistic about the future. You respect yourself more, and will probably find that other people treat you better as well. You feel less stressed, and have more courage to try and do new things. You stop turning to material objects to make you happy, because you are content with less.

Clearing out your clutter creates space for possibility. You may find yourself deciding to go back to school, change your career, start your own business, go out on a date, take up painting or singing or ballroom dancing, try out for a part in a play, or… what’s your dream? (No wonder clutter clearing can be a little scary! Suddenly there are no more excuses for why you can’t pursue that dream.)

Your friends will say you look terrific. They’ll wonder where that sparkle in your eye came from, and how you manage to look both energized and serene at the same time. It’s because you have released from your life everything that is no longer useful to you. You have let go of the past and are no longer hoarding for the future. You have made space for living freely in the present, where peace resides.

© 2003 Stephanie Roberts