Clutter is not just a lot of disorganized stuff in one place. That’s just one type of clutter, but there are six more that we have to be aware of because they affect our anxiety levels, sleep and ability to work, while triggering avoidance strategies that make us snack on junk food and watch too much tv.
Clutter emerges from indecision, we haven’t decided where to put our stuff and we have clutter in our lives because we haven’t taken control of what is and isn’t important in our lives.
Physical clutter: those are all the things that are lying around that you don’t use, don’t need, and you're delaying having to deal with them. Physical clutter is stagnant energy.
Digital clutter: email overload, things that you download and forget, cluttered desktop, too many apps, lack of a system to file your work digitally.
Mental clutter: anything that makes our mind go into overwhelm, such as a to-do list that we’re trying to remember, information overload, negative feelings and tasks that we’re procrastinating on, such as doing the laundry, paying the bills or having that hard conversation.
Emotional clutter: the negative talk that we have in our brains, our limiting beliefs. In order to rewire them, first we have to be aware of them and take small steps into changing the narrative into a more positive one.
Energy clutter: inherited furniture, things from a second hand store that you don’t know who they belonged to and gifts that you don’t like but that you’re keeping out of obligation, and photos that bring bad memories.
Symbolic clutter: unsuccessful projects, broken objects and negative artwork. We’re all energy and things are energy too.
