Decluttering your life physically and emotionally is critical to an abundant life. You cannot operate as your highest and best self when there is a part of you always pre-occupied with the clutter around you, blocking your energy.
Today, we're jumping into how to to declutter your physical space to maximize you ability to manifest the things you want.
Everything has energy within it and there is energy around everything, this is physics. but if I can get a little “woo” on you for a second…. How does it feel to walk into your room once it’s been cleaned really well? Do you feel lighter? More energized? More creative? More at peace? Most of us do. That feeling you get when you’re in a clean space, the one that feels like you’ve just let out a deep breath, that is what I refer to when I say “energy” in this post.
Like the feeling I described when you walk into a clean room, this kind of energy can significantly impact you on an emotion level. In fact, a large part of the business community claims that they need a clean space to work more efficiently. Knowing we’re more at ease and productive in a decluttered space let’s talk about what steps you can take to open up the energy around you, so that you have room to attract the things you want.
Can a decluttered space affect your ability to manifest?
It is suggested that Albert Einstein once said “Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want, and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” Whether or not he actually said this (the jury is still out on that one), I love this quote because it reminds me to be in alignment, all the time, in every space. Especially, my own space where I spend majority of my time.
If you’re constantly surrounded by a chaotic mess at work and home, then this chaotic energy is what you‘re manifesting more of. You manifest your identity, who you are. If you consider yourself a messy person, or someone who thrives in chaos, then that identity is where you’re vibrating, and it’s what you will get more of. If you like the chaos and mess, awesome! This post probably won’t do you any good…. But if you’re still reading, it’s like this identity has already gotten in the way of the things you want. While we talk about decluttering your physical space in this post, I highly recommend that you also spend some time journaling about the “how” and “why” it forms on the first place. Questions you can ask yourself might be similar to these:
- What were my parents habits with clutter?
- What are my habits with clutter?
- How has clutter served me in the past?
- How does clutter make me feel?
- How could releasing my habits around clutter serve me?
- What system hasn’t worked in the past and why?
Being, living, and thinking on the same frequency of the things you want to attract is called “being in flow”. If you have a space that is untidy and unorganized then you’re blocking the energy in that area, so it becomes stagnant instead of flowing freely. As a result, any pockets of negative energy can easily become stored in the mess of your belongings.
Do you ever feel more relaxed when your house is clean? Or feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment or joy when a closet is cleaned out and organized? Have you ever cleaned or felt the need to purge when you’re experiencing a major life change like a divorce, job change, or move? This is because subconsciously, you recognize that a decluttered space is refreshing to your energy. An organized space not only allows you to feel as though you have “cleared room” for the next phase of your life, but it also gives you a sense of control. You were able to “be productive” by moving the stagnant energy that was once stuck so it could flow more easily once things were organized correctly. This is both a physical and emotional cleansing as you move through the (e)motions.
As an example, when my parents got a divorce after 35 years, it was as though my mother had unleashed 35 years of "crap" as she purged every drawer, closet, and box from the house. She felt the need to do this to help her move on by refreshing the energy of the space, and by doing so she allowed the negative energy that was harbored for years to be released. Don’t get me wrong… there is still a lot of shit to unpack there, but it was like a weight had been lifted and she could finally focus more on her healing and less on her surroundings.
What does clutter tell the Universe?
Clutter tells the universe that you have enough, or even too much. In fact, it says that you have so much… that you don’t have space for anything else! Energy goes where energy flows; If energy can’t flow, you guessed it… you’re going to hit an abundance plateau.
Your message to the Universe needs to be clear—you’re ready to receive more. Nothing says I’m ready to receive more like space... clean, uncluttered, a deep sigh of relief, space.
When you tell the Universe that you have room for more of what you want through your decluttered space, it also confirms that you respect what has been given to you so far. On an energetic level, how you treat your belongings, especially within your space, communicates how you treat and respect the gifts the Universe gives you. If your belongings are tossed around haphazardly, this does not scream, “I’m so grateful for what I’ve been given!”.
Are you conveying that you're grateful and appreciative, or annoyed and overwhelmed? Gratitude is more than a cute expression on a coffee mug from Anthropology… it really is important!
You can take this energy flow discussion to a whole new level by studying feng shui, but for most of us, a reminder to declutter the areas around us is the first step we can take to surround ourselves with abundant energy.
Now that you understand the importance of decluttering your space, let’s jump into the 3 main areas you should declutter to manifest money: Your wallet, your car, and your closet.
1. Declutter Your wallet
Most importantly, you should have a designated place to keep your money. If you want money to be more abundant, show the Universe that you respect it. You can do this by giving money a designated space to “live”. Don’t just throw it into the bottom of a purse or cup holder all laissez faire! Where does your money live currently? Not only within your wallet or purse, but where do you then put the wallet or purse? Is it thrown in a chair? Onto a bill of bills? Do you constantly lose it? Keep track of and show respect for your money by having a designated space for it at home and at work.
When I say money, I’m not just referring to cash. I’m also referring to credit cards, gift cards, change, meaningful coupons, etc. All of this “money” needs to be stored, respectfully. If you cannot afford a wallet, find somewhere or something that can keep your money organized so the energy around it is flowing. My dad always kept his money inside an upside-down baseball cap on the counter top, or his credit cards were bound together in a stack by broken rubber bands—I do NOT recommend this! Again, show your money that you value it so you can maintain a positive relationship with it and attract more of it to you.
Next, consider the state of your wallet. Is your wallet or money organizer clean? Does the exterior have scuffs, deterioration, or broken clasps? If so, evaluate whether or not you can get a new one. There is an old wives tale that claims you should not keep broken things in your house or you will go broke—while I don’t take that verbatim, I believe that you should feel abundant EVERY time you look at your money... and a dirty and broken wallet does not usually make most people feel abundant. Always be in the right state of mind when you handle money. How would you feel opening a beautifully clean wallet versus opening a wallet that is falling apart? Before you even get to your money, you are subconsciously impacted by whatever you’re housing your money in. Make sure it is a positive energy!
Think about where your money is right now, or what it is located in. Does this make you feel expansive, or do you feel restrictive? If you feel anything other than a positive feeling, you should re-evaluate where and how your money is stored. When I first started out, I would buy used name brand wallets from thrift stores that made me feel fancy and luxurious. When I would grab my wallet, it always made me feel rich and abundant to feel the wallet and see the quality. THIS is the feeling you should strive to have every time you reach for your money. You never want negative energy around your cash.
How is your wallet organized? Are you like my mother who has a busted zipper from 100+ store specific credits cards and coupons? Going back to what we were talking about earlier, you need to create space for energy to flow, and for the Universe to recognize you are open to receiving more. A stuffed or jam-packed wallet does NOT say “I have space” for anything. A bad habit I used to have is holding into change for years. It made my wallets (and purses) really heavy, and I hardly ever used it! Instead, anytime you’re at a self-checkout machine, dump some extra change in the coins slot and watch your total bill go down—it feels so good!
I recommend that you dump EVERYTHING out of your wallet. You would be surprised how many expired gift cards, coupons, and receipts you can find. Find a “home” for each card, keep your change together, and organize your cash by value. A well-organized wallet creates the right vibe that you’re looking for.
Lastly, if you’re not keeping cash in your wallet, you should be. I know that it is so easy to use credit cards and Apple Pay for everything, but having cash in your wallet will make you feel abundant each time you open it to pay for goods or services. If you can keep a $100 bill at the front, that is even better. How great would you feel if the first thing you saw in your wallet when you opened it was a $100 bill? If you can’t afford this yet, print off a fake one! Trick your brain into a feeling of gratitude every time you open your wallet. The Universe can’t tell if you’re feeling abundant because of real money or fake money, so just roll with it. The feeling of abundance is abundant, and it attracts more, regardless of the cause!
2. Declutter Your car
Think about the state of your car right now. How does it look? Smell? Feel? Is there trash in the cup holders and on the floor boards, change in the cup holders, stains on the seats, dirty clothes in the backseat, bags of clothes that you’ve intended to donate for months, etc.?
Most people spend a significant amount of time in their car commuting (or at least, we did pre-pandemic). We want the energy we’re exposed to in our cars to flow, so clean and cleanse your car as often as your home! You don’t have to overwhelm yourself by doing it all at once. Can you start with the center console, then the glove box, then the back seat, trunk, etc. If you’re easily overwhelmed by the prospect of cleaning the entire vehicle, commit to one thing a day instead. ”What is one thing can I address today?” Then do this again tomorrow.
In addition to opening up the feel good energy and space within your car, keeping your car cleaned and well-maintained will make you appreciate your car more. This means you are reinforcing that positive energy every time you’re in your car. Have you ever hated a car… and shortly after this feeling started you begin to experience confirmation bias as everything within it starts to malfunction and go wrong? This could be because of your negative energy!
I always feel luxurious and positive about my car when I’ve taken the time to detail the interior and exterior. It makes me feel like my car is new again which evokes the feeling of wealth. Not only do I feel better in my car as a result, but I will even drive it as if it is new again without even realizing it!
This brings me to my next point. Are you treating your car with respect as you drive? Are you hitting the steering wheel, console, or dash anytime you’re angry? Think about the energy you project when you’re within the car. If you’re prone to being an angry driver, cleanse your car even more often.
As a side note, I’d also work on why you’re so reactive while driving. For most people, it usually comes down to issues with control, power, or time management issues! Identify the reason why you’re a reactive driver and work to clear that negative energy from yourself. It can only help you manifest better things!
3. Declutter Your closet
When you open your closet door, what emotion hits you? Is it excitement? Peace? Frustration? Annoyance? Are you immediately overwhelmed with the chaos of it? Or is everything neat and easy to find? Your belongings should be respected just like your money and your car (and everything you own, TBH).
A lot of us will have piles of clothes, shoes, and whatever else thrown at the bottom of the closet. Maybe you have everything hung up, but your closet is so PACKED with belongings, that you can’t FIT anything else within it! Again, this tells the Universe that you do not have space for Gucci, Prada, Louboutin, or whatever material good you might want. Even if you don’t want more things, this abundance communicates to your financial health as well.
To quote Marie Kondo, are your current clothes, shoes, and accessories bringing you joy? If not, it is time to purge so you can make room for the things you actually want to wear.
As an example, are you holding onto clothes that “you hope to get back into one day”? If so, that’s allowing the negativity stemming from your self-consciousness to impact your wardrobe, and you’re putting those clothes on your body every day! That means you're literally dressing yourself with the negativity from your self-inflicted disappointment everyday by allowing your “overweight” clothes to co-mingle with your “thinner” clothes. You don’t want that kind of energy in there!
And yes, it is time to part with those “thinner” clothes. Otherwise, you’re perpetuating negativity in a major way. I always recommend a healthy (not skinny) body for manifestation, and a healthy body is not synonymous with “thinner”. I highly recommend reading Health At Every Size if this idea scares you!
You are beautiful, worthy, and enough, no matter your size. Let the clothes go that do not bring you joy… and something tells me that those skinny clothes do not instill joy when you look at them ;) I’m guilty too!
Next on the list: Is it easy for you to see and find the clothes you’re looking for when you go into your closet? If not, this can easily become an annoying experience when you’re trying to find something to wear. And again, we’re all about avoiding negative energy within areas you interact with a lot! I once heard that belongings have energy, like everything else, and experience neglect on an energetic level. Make sure you don’t have clothes that you’re neglecting and holding onto for the wrong reasons. This neglect can be accumulating negative and stagnant energy!
Lastly, do the possessions in your closet make you feel wealthy? Oftentimes, the way our clothes and shoes are organized can do a lot to make you feel abundant. Keep your favorite clothes towards the front so that you feel good as soon as you open the door. Some of my peers like to display their favorite luxury items to add to the feeling of abundance—it’s up to you! Keep in mind, if the experience of buying a luxury item doesn’t feel good, right for you, or causes stress, then do not make the purchase. Luxury material goods are not everyone’s jam!
When all of these areas are cleaned, decluttered, and organized, be sure to cleanse your space energetically as well! You’ve done so much work to get everything into alignment physically, you should aim to keep it there energetically with a good cleanse. And if you’re rolling your eyes at this, that is fine, indulge me! Why not? What is the worst that can happen other than you feel ridiculous (do it alone) or your closet smells differently after (is that a bad thing?). Just try a cleanse and see how it feels for you before and after.
As a reminder, you can cleanse your newly decluttered space with sage, palo santo, lavender, rosemary, salt, holy water, essential oils, singing bowls, crystals, etc. Whatever medium you choose, be sure to do your research to ensure that you’re not culturally appropriating. There is a lot of information out there about the inappropriate use of palo santo and sage as it relates to the indigenous tribes. Be mindful about your selection, contingent upon your beliefs and your background, and ultimately do whatever feels right! The most important thing is to have the right intention. You’ve done all of the work to clear the energy for a more positive space, so you should make sure it stays that way!
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For more home decluttering inspiration, head to The Ultimate Fall Home Organization Checklist to Prep Your Home for the Season
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