What’s decluttering got to do with manifesting? I’m glad you’ve asked. As it happens, before creating something new, you have to make sure there’s room for it in your life.
I’ve read about a million manifesting tutorials, and many of them talk about essentially the same things: visualizations, affirmations, gratitude, etc. Which are all good and true.
But they miss one essential step: decluttering, or getting rid of old, broken, and unused things.
Whenever you want to create a change and bring something new into your life, you have to let something old go.
It can be non-material things, like letting go of limiting beliefs, destructive habits, or toxic relationships.
But it can also be getting rid of physical, tangible things.
Why is it so important to declutter before you start manifesting?
Why do you need to declutter before embarking on a new journey, making a change, or trying to manifest something you’ve been dreaming about for a long time?
Because physical clutter has a powerful effect on your mind and emotional well-being.
If you’ve ever watched the show “Hoarders,” you know what I’m talking about. What you’ll notice if you watch a few episodes is that the people who become hoarders live in the past. There is a very distinctive motif of hanging on to the past, and things that represent the past.
So a hoarder could be collecting children’s toys, for example, or old newspapers, or broken outdated technology.
It’s like they’re “stuck” in a certain moment or a phase of their lives, and they shut out the rest of the world that reminds them of the present. Frozen in time, they’re unable to move forward or to change anything about their circumstances.
You know how “stuck” feels, don’t you?
I do. I’ve felt that way countless times in my life, particularly with blogging. It’s when I can see what I want so clearly, and I feel like I’m taking the steps to achieve it.
And yet I’m STUCK. Nothing I do matters. Nothing I change lasts. So I get sad and disappointed. Then I stop trying and revert back to the old.
The same mechanism is at work in hoarding: when you hold on to old or useless things, you become stuck.
Because things aren’t just things. Your possessions are a physical representation of your inner world.
So getting rid of old junk won’t just make you feel more grounded and in control. It will also enable you to bring something new into your life. Something that you desperately want.
Want a better job? Declutter.
Want a baby? Declutter.
Want to stop being a jerk magnet? Declutter.
Besides taking up physical and mental space, there’s another reason clutter blocks your ability to manifest. It represents your fear of lack.
Think about all the things you hang on to “just in case.” If you trace that impulse to its origin, you’ll find that it almost always goes back to the fear of not having enough.
This is your scarcity mindset at work, and it needs to change.
7 Steps to Decluttering Your Life and Making Room For Change
If you want to declutter but not sure how to do it, relax. Breathe. Start small, but start somewhere. Here are some guidelines for what to get rid of.
1. Things that don’t bring joy.
You can use the Marie Kondo method: get rid of things that don’t bring joy. Go through everything you own and ask yourself: does it bring me joy? That’s a very powerful question! And it helps to weed out things that you hang onto out of habit.
For example, when I was going through my closet, I realized that I had some clothes that I liked but they had some negative memories attached to them. Every time I looked at them, I relived those emotions all over again.
This is a perfect example of how physical things can represent or symbolize non-physical ones. That dress was literally a physical manifestation of a painful memory. And I was holding on to it!
Let it go, let it go, let it go.
2. Things that are broken
Get rid of everything that’s broken, especially if you’ve had it for a while. If it hasn’t been fixed by now, it won’t be later.
That’s another dysfunctional mental habit – to hold on to things that are broken. Abusive relationships, anyone?
3. Things that don’t fit
Get rid of clothes that don’t fit you anymore. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt.
We all have at least a few outfits in our closets that we’re saving for “when I lose that 5 pounds,” for “when I lose the baby weight,” or “when I finally start working out.” That should happen any day now, right?
Get rid of it. It’s just a symptom of not being able to accept yourself or love yourself the way you are. There’s nothing wrong with those few extra pounds! You don’t have to live in suspended animation, waiting for some future date when you’ll finally have the body you want.
It might happen, it might not. If it does, you’ll buy new clothes to celebrate. But start accepting yourself now, without conditions.
4. Things that have no use
Get rid of things that have no use. You might have a curling iron you never use, or a kitchen appliance that’s barely been out of the box, or books you never read.
It can be anything that serves no purpose in your life. Yet you’re holding on “just in case.”
I can relate. But here’s what I can tell you after going through multiple rounds of decluttering: it’s kind of hard in the moment, but once you get rid of it, you forget that you ever had it. And I’ve never regretted giving away any of my “just in case” things.
And hey – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. If your “just in case” things are in good shape, you can sell them on OfferUp or donate. Otherwise – toss ‘em!
5. Things that are generic
Consider getting rid of souvenirs. That’s a tough one but hey – no pain no gain!
We have a hard time parting with souvenirs or mementos because they have sentimental value. And it’s fine to keep a few things you absolutely love, or can’t imagine not having.
But truthfully, you’re probably holding on to a lot of cheap mass-produced crap just because you got it on that vacation in Cabo, or because someone gave it to you after their vacation.
I mean, it’s not like you’re going to forget that trip. You’ve been there, and you took about a billion pictures. Do you really need that plastic Statue of Liberty or those shot glasses?
6. Things that are out of sight
Some people think decluttering is rounding up a bunch of stuff and shoving it into the garage.
Nope! You cannot use your garage or attic as a holding cell for all the junk you can’t bring yourself to throw away. Garage counts!
So if you’re serious about decluttering and creating the space in your life for something new, don’t skip the garage, the attic, the basement, the closets, and other out-of-sight places.
7. Things that are digital junk
Clutter on your electronic devices affects you, too. In fact, if you’re having trouble letting go of physical things, you can ease yourself into it by cleaning out your phone (computer) first.
Remove bad or duplicate pictures and videos. Think quality. We take way too many pictures, and we never delete them. Then we just go and upgrade to bigger storage! Don’t be an iHoarder.
If it’s not cute – delete. If you already have a similar one – delete. Blurry, dark, over-exposed – delete, delete, delete!
Then do the same with your computer. Delete old programs you don’t use, documents, images, games. Anything you don’t need or want. Then take that attitude into your life. Get rid of anything that doesn’t serve you and just takes up space.
Final Thoughts on Decluttering and Manifesting
We’ve uncovered the following reasons why clutter blocks your ability to manifest. It
- Keeps you in the past
- Takes up space
- Makes you feel out of control
- Reinforces a scarcity mindset.
We’ve also figured out the 7 steps to declutter your life and make room for change. We decided to get rid of
- Joyless things;
- Broken things;
- Useless things;
- Clothes that don’t fit;
- Souvenirs that aren’t unique;
- Junk that’s hidden away;
- Digital junk.
The act of decluttering is very powerful. It sends a clear message to the universe that you’re ready for the change, for something new to come into your life.
Nature abhors a vacuum. Once you clear out the debris and create some empty space, you’ll be in a much better position to manifest your desires.
What are you still doing here? Go declutter and to start manifesting!
