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Making Space

Making space in your physical world can have an amazing effect on making space in your emotional and intellectual world too. Clearing your clutter works in all dimensions.


This is a transition, so let's transition already. I am not talking about you giving away all your material possessions, renouncing your western ways and living in a mud hut.

Nor am I talking about some prissy idea about 'getting organised'.

I'm talking about making space in your living space. Space you can move in. Space you can breathe in. Space you can be creative in without moving through, moving around, managing or trying to find things amongst your stuff.

There is often a great deal of guilt associated with getting rid of things. There may be items that were gifts, items that were once highly prized but have been overtaken by newer things, items that were useful once but are no longer.

We often hang on to things on the basis that 'one day' we may need it when that day is yet to dawn and may never.



We think, 'but that cost so much when I bought it, I should continue to value it. It is wasteful to get rid of it. '

If you are storing things that you are not using, that is what is wasteful. It is taking up your space and being held back from someone who might actually use it.

Find it a new home, either by giving it away, sending it to a charity shop or holding a garage sale and get it out of yours.

What are some of the things you are likely to come across?

  • Still waiting for an opportunity to re-introduce fondue to your new circle of friends? Forget it. There's a reason fondue sets feature in every garage sale you've ever been to.

  • Have a wide collection of corkscrews, nutcrackers and tin openers? Most homes only need one. Keep the best and turf the rest.

  • You think it might be valuable one day? In your lifetime? Everything will be valuable one day if you wait long enough. Are you a museum? Do you want to be? Are you storing it so your kids will get rich one day off of your rubbish? Are you a (GASP) closet bag lady?

  • Sporting equipment or hobby gear for pursuits you no longer uh, pursue? Is this to remind you that your knees could once do tennis? Move on hun, it's shuffle board and golf from now on.

  • Anything that is not working perfectly or has bits missing. I know, you keep meaning to turn the house upside down for the widget you just KNOW is there and makes the whole thing work perfectly. Nup. If you've lived this long without using it you can throw it out. Trust me, that is the only way you will find the widget that makes it work.


    And some special sub-topics for clothing.

  • If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it. You're tired of it.

  • If you are waiting for it to come back into fashion, be kinder to yourself. Things never come back into fashion exactly the same way each time. Your skimping will be recognised.

  • I will wear it again when I lose weight. This is just cruel. If you lose weight you deserve to buy yourself new outfits.


    Store it by Proximity

    Now what?

    With what is left you need to consider how to store the things we need. This is all about proximity and accessibility.

    For instance?

    If I bake every day, I want my baking things handy, not stored in the garage at the top of a shelf.

    Sounds self evident but you will be surprised once you examine what you have been doing, how much easier this equation can become with a bit of thought.

    If the things I am using never actually make it back to where I am storing them, especially before I need them again, then I am clearly storing them in the wrong place.

    You know what I'm talkiing about. I want to wrap a gift. The best surface is the dining room table, the tape is upstairs in the office, the scissors are in the kitchen drawer third on the left. I have lost my package before I have gathered all of the items I need and I have to go all over the house again to find it. Working? Not at all.

    Things that you need all the time need to be handy. Things that you need, but you don't know when you will need them, need to be handy. Things that you use once a year go in the attic, or garage or the shed or under the house or whatever.

    This is a serious discipline. It takes work and thought but hallelujah the time you will save in being able to find the things you want, when you want them, makes it all worthwhile.

    If you decide to get serious about this, there is a terrific site about getting rid of clutter just here. (Tell them I sent you!:)

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