Let me ask you a question that a lot of people find... kind of personal.

How often do you deep clean and de-clutter your place?

I know we are busy with our day to day job, family or children and this is usually the last thing we want to do or have the energy to do.

But our physical space are filled with a lot of minor distractions, such a pile of unread books, scuff marks on the wall, a lot of unused clothes in the drawer, a stack of plates and cups in the kitchen cupboard that’s hardly ever been used. Does it sound familiar?

An example of a cluttered room:

(this is not my place... honestly :D )

For most people, these things are annoying, but easily ignored because they seem insignificant. We rarely recognise that these things are threats to our productivity, energy, concentration and peace of mind.

For those of us, who committed to achieving something greater in our lives, a cluttered environment like this creates negative results.

(This is not mine either... :)

Three main negative consequences clutter can cause:

1. Makes you feel drained.
   If there are things to do everywhere you look, your mind constantly keeps thinking “I need to fix that.” Eventually, you will feel drained, anxious, irritable, and overwhelmed. We have to put blinders on and overlook the distractions to cope with it.

2. Problems start to spiral out.
   We often overlook irritations for a short-term gain so we can continue with our daily routine. But the danger with this is that some problems will get worse with time and lack of attention.

3. You miss important ideas.
   When you pay close attention to something important to you, it’s also impossible to selectively numb out your awareness and ignore only the minor distractions in your physical space. This is very dangerous for success-minded people because our most powerful insights often are in gut feelings and creative thoughts. So numbing out to the cluttered physical environments makes us numbed to these ideas, as well.

Physical space impacts mental state.

Small irritations and distractions also have a dramatic impact on our mental state. People who feel overwhelmed by the physical clutter usually go into a state of giving up.

When you have a sense that you can’t control the little things around you, then it can make you feel that there’s no way you can have bigger things in life that you want.

For example when you can’t find a stapler quickly when you need it, it sends a signal that “how can I find a better car, a bigger house, or a loving relationship”?

The good news is that the same concept works in reverse.

(He agrees...)

When you do recognise that you can control little things, such as the squeak every time you open your front door, you recognise that you can control the bigger things in life, too.

Taking action to manage irritations, distractions and clutter builds up your confidence to achieve success.

There are three ways you can do deal with clutter and to change your environment:

1. add something to it,

2. take something out of it,

3. or modify it.

Go through your rooms and figure out what is irritating and distracting you, then think about how it is going to be fixed.

One reason that the physical items are increasing is because sometimes we feel like we have to do all of the work ourselves. So also think about who can help you to clear the clutter.

One of the key strategies for getting more done is to delegate some work that you don’t want to do, can’t do or don’t like doing and find someone who can help you.

Also have a look at your rooms and find things that you can get rid of completely and replace it with something that increases the energy of your space.

For example, you might find that removing the television from your bedroom makes your room more relaxing and peaceful. On the other hand, you might find that adding a desk to your office gives you an inviting place for creative work.

I like adding plants to my rooms because it makes me feel calm and connected to nature. I also like using natural stones and crystals to create more peace in the room and also increase my focus.

Not all clutter is bad. When you are in the middle of creation – such as writing an article, developing a presentation, or creating a product – you might pull out resources like books, clippings, articles and notepads. For many people, clutter is part of the creative process.

What you need to do in order to identify bad or good clutter is that you need to pay close attention to your feelings. If you feel inspired, the clutter is serving you and helping you to create. If you feel drained, anxious or stressed, the clutter needs to be cleared away.

It’s important to understand that we can control our environments and our living space.

So where are you going to start to de-clutter?