What Clutter Says About You… And Your Business

Clutter is a sign of many things.

We’ve all gone into houses where the place is overrun with “stuff” and you wonder what’s really going on.

In Feng Shui clutter is a sign of stagnant energy and decisions that have yet to be made.  Think about that for a second.  Decisions that have yet to be made?

When you look at your pile of mail or boxes of clothes (that you’re hoping to one day fit back into) what decision needs to be made?

With mail you either need to recycle it, pay a bill or file it away. Pretty straightforward decisions.

But with clothes that you wore pre-pregnancy that you dream of one day fitting back into, the decision may be more of an emotional one. Is it time to hire a personal trainer and lose the extra 20 pounds? Is it time to come to terms that, regardless of the weight, your body has changed and you may not really fit into those clothes like you once did? Are you longing for a different time when you sat around drinking margaritas with friends, freely staying out until all hours?  So why are you holding on to them… honestly?

Clutter symbolizes a state of overwhelm and the inability to my a decision and move forward.
Often you are lacking forward movement and/or unclear with the general direction in your life.

You need to ask your “Why am I holding onto this?”

You need to ask your “Why am I holding onto this?”

What Clutter Type Are You

Hoarder: “I need these things… all of these things.”

This is the inability to let go.  Their hoarding tendencies are rooted in scarcity – financial and otherwise.  They collect and cannot let go of having 10 of the same items.  When you hoard, you don’t allow new things, ideas, relationships to come into your life and business.  You are typically at a stand still – both in your life and your business.  The stuff is holding you back, creating an anchor in terms of the healthy flow of energy and prevents you from stepping into a bigger role in your life.

Profession-Specific Hoader:  “I might need this … one day.”

You may walk into their house and it’s neat but their office drawers and closets are packed with items that they just might need one day.  They’re so afraid that they will one day need to refer to that particular workshop notes, or that idea on a post-it or the notes taken from a webinar.  At the core, they’re not entirely confident in their work and lean on outside materials and resources like a security blanket.

They’re insecure about moving forward without all the knowledge, training, idea they’ve EVER learned or come across.

Deferrer: “I’ll get to it tomorrow.”

These folks put off what they can do today for tomorrow.  They look at bills or clothes on the floor and say “I’ll get to that tomorrow.”  They will also defer making decisions in their business.
When you put off doing the things today, you are putting a lot of undue energy into remembering to do something later.  Check in with yourself.  Are you procrastinating making a big (or even a small decision)? Are you feeling overwhelmed by something in your business? Why are you putting things off?

Just In Case: “Because I just never know when I might actually need it.”

This is based in scarcity. You’re afraid to let things go because you don’t know if you’ll be able to afford or find them again. Just in case I loose the 20 lbs I gained after having my kids 6 years ago.  Just in case I decide to re-read Eat Pray Love – for the tenth time. Just in case I get invited to play golf I won’t want to get rid of my hand-me-down clubs (even though I can’t stand playing golf!)

FOMO “I just don’t want to forget anything.”

The people who don’t want to miss out on things in present-day life may tend to not want to miss out on any past memories as well. You don’t want to forget the memory of…  when your kids were little, when the hot guy took you to prom, winning the science contest, your single days in skinny jeans, your dearly departed parents, and so on. But it’s time to let go. Create a small box for memories and select one or maybe two items that represent particular milestones and experiences. You don’t need to save every ticket stub or wrist corsage from high school to preserve those memories.

Perfectionist “I’m totally organized, but don’t look too closely at my junk drawer.”

This is the person who wants to have everything organized perfectly. They own a label maker and spend an exorbitant amount of money at the Container Store. But sometimes if they’re not able to “find the time” to organize it perfectly, they’ll put things off.

Two things here. They often have WAY too many things. Just because you have everything beautifully organized and labeled doesn’t mean it isn’t clutter. And secondly they can allow things to pile up because they haven’t made the time to make it perfect. This perfectionism can be clearly seen in their business too. They won’t get a project out the door until it’s perfect (which it will never be!) or will spend too much money or time getting everything in line before actually getting it in front of potential clients.

So What Does One Do?

Here are 7 tips to help you on your way!

Spend 20 minutes each day for one week and de-clutter

1. Start small and clean out your purse. Recycle old receipts, consolidate the coffee punch cards, organize the loose change, and create some order.
2. Remove everything from your desk and then decide what needs to stay, be filed away or go. Go through all your pens and throw out (or put elsewhere) the ones you never use.
3. Remove everything from your “junk drawer”. You know you have one! Most of the stuff can be thrown out or find a better home. Neatly organize the stuff that stays.
4. Is there something you’re putting off. Do it today.
5. Is there a box (or drawer) of clothes that you plan to fit in “one day”. Pull it out and determine whether you’d wear them even if you lost the weight – or would rather buy new clothes to celebrate. Donate the ones that don’t make you feel great.
6. Go through your kids clothes and toys and donate items to families in need through a women’s shelter.
7. Any broken items in your home or home office that you’ve been meaning to fix? Are you going to? If not, throw out or recycle the item.

Clutter in Feng Shui is associated with things unfinished, unused, or unresolved.  So make the time to eliminate some of the clutter so you can open up your business and life to new avenues and opportunities.

The Golden Rule of De-Clutter:  If you don’t love it, need it or use it… let it go!

The Golden Rule of De-Clutter:  If you don’t love it, need it or use it… let it go!

 

The post What Clutter Says About You… And Your Business appeared first on LearnSavvy.