How to Create More Energy in Your Life (Part 1)

We only have so much time and energy to use each day, and it may surprise you to realize how much of that time and energy can be eaten up by simply dealing with STUFF. Yes, the very act of managing, organizing, and even thinking about the clutter that fills our spaces can drain our precious reserves. Even worse, though, is that this all takes away from time with our most important relationships and the all things we really want to be doing.

Of course, we can’t change the fact that we’re stuck with just 24 hours in a day, but we can change what we spend that time on and how much energy we show up with.

In my 16 years of working with organizing clients, I’ve witnessed how easy it is for people to reach the point of overwhelm from all of the clutter and excess in their homes countless times. It creates a number of issues that drain their energy in a variety of ways.

Tell me, can you relate to any of these scenarios? (Not real client names.)

Overwhelmed by Choice: Every morning, Jenna stares at her overflowing closet for a good twenty minutes. The sheer volume of choices makes it impossible to decide what to wear, starting her day off with stress and decision fatigue.

Lost Items: Amidst the piles of papers and random stuff on his desk, Mark spends hours searching for an important tax document. The clutter not only consumes his time but also adds a layer of unnecessary anxiety to his day.

Social Isolation: Sarah feels too embarrassed to invite friends over because her living room is always cluttered with toys, books, and unsorted mail. The clutter has become a barrier to socializing, leaving her feeling isolated and disconnected.

Financial Strain: Kevin buys a new blender, only to find an almost identical one buried in a kitchen cupboard a week later. The clutter in his home masks what he already owns, leading to unnecessary spending and financial strain.

Stuck Creativity: Emily, an aspiring writer, finds her home office so cluttered with unused craft supplies and old projects that she can't find a clear space to work. The physical clutter stifles her creativity, making it difficult to focus and produce new work.

None of these scenarios are unusual, so you’re definitely not alone if you can relate to any (or many) of them. With an already busy lifestyle, it’s easy to slip into auto-pilot and not even notice as more and more things come into our space than what goes out, and to simply run out of time and energy to take care of ‘stuff’ in any form. One thing’s for sure…

The more things you have, the more time, energy and space you need to give up to managing them. 

Here’s another way to think of it…

You have 5 dresses that you love. They’re hanging in a closet co-mingled with 50 dresses that you don’t really like or need. When you open your closet, I bet you’ll have thoughts like “I have nothing to wear!” or “I don’t like any of my clothes, I need something new!” You might even forget those dresses you like are in there. And it takes you putting on and taking off about 10 dresses until you find something to wear out of the house. (And, don’t forget, then you have to re-hang all of them!)

Now picture this…

You only have 5 dresses hanging nicely in your closet. You can easily see them and you love each one. How much time and energy (and cash-o-la!) do you save by only having these 5 dresses that you ACTUALLY like?!

A LOT!

You save time and space and can really maximize your happiness because you can feel good and use what you own. The goal becomes to scale that feeling to everything you own – allowing YOU to own your stuff instead of your stuff owning you! Talk about an energy booster!

When you release the attachment to the excess and can clear it out, then all of that stuck, stagnant energy can be released. It will no longer crowd you in any way, which means that you raise your energy and create more space in your life for the good stuff to start showing up.

What things are you holding onto that need to be released? What areas need to be cleared out? 

Here are a few areas you may consider looking:

• A category of excess: Think hair products, towels, sheets, jackets, jeans…
• Items to repair: Call or ask around for where to get things fixed or recycled.
• Clothes: Donate or consign the clothes that are out of fashion clothes or that don’t fit you. Just let them go and make space to see the clothes that you do wear.
• Books: It’s okay to let books go, even if you started reading it already. Free yourself of the guilt.
• Kitchen: Release most of the jars and containers you’ve been saving and the kitchen gadgets you’ve never used.
• Projects: Take care of those abandoned projects by either finishing it or putting everything for the project away. Same goes for crafts.
• Gifts: I give you permission to let go of the gifts you’ve been hanging onto only because it was a gift and you want to be prepared for “what if they come over & ask about it”.

All of these are examples of things that we can feel burdened with or guilty about. They overlap and intertwine, taking up precious space, time and emotional and mental energy. 

To truly embrace happiness and live your life fully, it's essential to free yourself from the clutter of meaningless, stagnant, or negative elements. This liberation allows you to dedicate your time, energy, and space to pursuits that bring you joy and resonate with your ideal lifestyle. By focusing on what genuinely matters, you pave the way for a life rich in contentment and aligned with your goals and dreams.

It definitely takes time and effort to clear out physical things from your space. However, I promise you that it will be 100% worth it!

Are you struggling to figure out where to start?

Start with items that need to be returned to a person or store, then move onto purging what’s in plain sight. You can also grab my list of 25 Ways to Declutter in Less Than 10 Minutes right here. Also, consider hiring a house cleaner to do a deep cleaning – it’s amazing how much of an energy booster this can be!

And if you’re still feeling overwhelmed or stuck then look into working with an organizing coach or a hands-on professional organizer to help guide you through the journey. Schedule a discovery call right here to get started.

Stay tuned for Part Two where I talk about cleaning up your mental space!

Enjoy the journey!