Although clutter is something that lives with you in the
here and now, one of the reasons why it feels great to have
a good declutter session is because most clutter is rooted
in the past. And by living with remnants and relics of your
past all around, you are unconsciously holding yourself in
that past, preventing yourself from moving forward in a
freer present and towards a lighter future.

Most people's clutter is a mixture of their ancient
history, their middle past and their recently lived
present. It can be most interesting to take a look at your
own clutter and see if there's a period of your life which
you're holding onto particularly strongly. There may not be
– you may find that your clutter is a mishmash of past life
stages and more recent procrastinations.

There's a very good reason why clutter builds up in the way
that it does, and this is because most clutter doesn't
actually begin its existence as clutter. Think about your
own clutter and you'll probably realize that most of it
started out as something useful, valuable, attractive,
creative, supportive, positive...

What happens, though, as time passes is that those useful
and positive items simply get out of date. Over the months
and years they reach a point where they're no longer useful
or valuable to you. But instead of recognizing that fact,
you hang onto them out of habit. Or just in case. Or for
sentimental reasons.

Sentimentality around clutter most often occurs after the
death of someone close. You inherit all sorts of items
which, under happier circumstances, you would easily
identify as clutter and dispose of. But there's an
emotional attachment to these particular items and to the
past memories that they hold.

A coaching client of mine, living in a small house,
inherited a large amount of family memorabilia when her
father died. She kept it for a while, but didn't really
have either space or use for most it and felt guilty
whenever she considered the possibility of not keeping it
all. The turning point came when she realised that her
father wouldn't want her to be living with a heavy heart,
full of obligation to old memories and hemmed in by
clutter. She chose a couple of items that she wanted to
keep, then contacted an auction house about the rest. She
knew her dad would be proud that she was being decisive and
getting on with her life.

It may be a painful truth, but in these circumstances, you
are the one moving forward with your life and you need to
choose what will serve you best as you do that. You most
certainly do not have to discard all your happy memories in
the decluttering process, but do make sure that you ditch
the guilt!

Decluttering is never a one-off. However careful you are
not to let obvious clutter into your life, there are always
going to be some things that evolve into clutter over time.
So if you want to be clutter free in the long term and you
want to live your life in the here and now instead of
letting your clutter drag you back into the past, there's a
really important skill you need to learn...

By developing an awareness that allows you to recognize
when something that was once useful and valuable has
evolved into clutter, you will be well on the path to
clutter free success. The second step involves learning to
thank that clutter warmly for its previous usefulness, and
then to dispose of it with gratitude in your heart. In this
way clutter is not the enemy, holding you back, it is
simply a reminder that you are involved in the ongoing
process of staying present in the present.

About the Author:

Mary McNeil of Create a Space is an experienced,
ICF-certified life coach who works with her clients on a
variety of decluttering, success and creativity projects.
Her 30-day home learning e-course: 'Declutter Your Way To
Creativity' is available from
http://www.Create-a-Space.co.uk.