Do you wish for new life experiences to happen to you? Are you hoping for a new job opportunity? Are you longing for new enriching connections and friendships? Or maybe even wishing to meet your special someone?

In order for us to receive and welcome new things into our life, we need to make space.

On a mental, emotional and physical level.

Imagine you have your hands full. Each finger is holding onto something. Your palms balance some further things, one leg is lifted to carry some more. And even under your arm pits you grasp onto things. 

 With this in your mind, imagine someone comes along and offers you a beautiful, magical pen. A pen that will turn into reality anything and everything that you wish for. You only have to write it down on a piece of paper.

What do you do? Your hands are full. Your armpits are full. Your leg is full and the other one you need to stand on.

In order to take it, receive it, you will have to let something else go. You need to free your hands. You need to drop the baggage.

And this is what decluttering is. Making space on every level. So that you can breathe. That you can receive. That new experiences can come into your life.

Often decluttering is done out of a necessity, because we are moving houses. Or we decide to do a spring cleaning, because the house is a mess. We then go through every closet, drawer, bags and cupboard to decide what to take / keep or give away. 

This is on a physical level.

What about our emotions or thoughts though? What are the stories we keep telling ourselves? The emotions we hold on to of things long passed?

Letting go of these is important, too. Sometimes the material things we let go of symbolize these thoughts and emotions. Sometimes it is on us to make a decision and stop telling ourselves certain things or revisit happenings of the past.

Here are 7 simple ways to effectively declutter your life and make space for new beautiful life experiences:

Donate Clothes & Accessories

Go through your closet and take out all the clothes and accessories you have.

Which of these did you not wear in months or years? Which are too big or too small? Which are washed out and have holes? What about that cute jacket you bought on sale and have never worn, because it is actually not your style (anymore)?

Throw them out. Only keep the clothes and accessories that you are regularly wearing and that truly reflect you and your personality.

The sorted out clothes can then be given to charity. If they are still new you can decide to sell them online or at a flea market.

The same goes for your shoes, of course. 😉

Make Space on Your Phone

Go through the apps on your phone and delete all the apps you are not using at all. Then do the same with the photos. The ones you want to keep, you can save to your computer. Everything else delete.

Next go to your address book. With whom of the contacts saved are you still in touch? Do you still need the number of the food delivery from when you lived in Portugal 10 years ago?

Be honest with yourself and delete all the contacts you truly do not need anymore. This includes your ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends and flirts, especially if you are not in touch any longer.

Last but not least, apply the same for any chats in any type of messenger app you use. The retreat request you sent and decided against afterwards, the buyer inquiries for your old mobile phone, etc. Delete any chat that is inactive and the containing information not needed anymore.

Clean Up Your Email Inbox

Let’s stay with the virtual clutter we hold on to.

If you have various email accounts, decide which ones you do not use any longer and delete them entirely. Only keep the email accounts and addresses you are using regularly.

Go through the inbox and delete any read and replied to email. If you need the information in the future as it is business or bank related, of course, keep it. Put it into a dedicated Email Folder within your Inbox.

Then continue with the Sent and Trash Folder. Delete all the emails. Some email providers allow you to set up an automated clearing of these folders after 30 days or less. Activate it. Use it.

If you have set up many folders to sort away your emails, go through each and every single one as well. Delete the emails you do not need any longer.

Also here, go through your address book and delete any contact you are not in touch with anymore.

Additionally, if you receive a lot of Spam Emails or Newsletters, consider unsubscribing from the ones that you haven’t opened and read in a long time.

Clear Out Your Fridge and Freezer

Yes, you read correctly.

Clear out your fridge and freezer. Especially the freezer as often any food we don’t use right away is stored here. Apart from food safety, it is recommended to regularly use up the food stored in the freezer. Plus the fresher it is, the yummier it’ll be when reheated.

Also, make sure that any left-over bits of cheese, salads, dressings, etc. are being used or thrown away in case they are off. Yes, a small bottle of ketchup won’t take up much space in the fridge, however, energetically it is taking up a lot of space.

Additionally, if you have a food storage room then you want to have a look here as well. What about that can of kidney beans in the far corner from 2 years ago? Can it still be used? Is the expiration date passed? Either use it or throw it away.

Please note I am not referring to food bought in bulk that is regularly used and automatically topped up. This is for the left-overs, the jars or cans received as gifts or a once off buy and never cooked with.

Clean Your Car

For some of you this is the daily means of transport from and to work, your appointments and social interactions.

You spend a lot of time here so you want to have this space clean.

This means on one side to wash it from inside and outside. On the other side it means clearing out the glove compartment, ashtrays, seat compartments, etc. Old coins, fuel receipts, CDs that you don’t listen to anymore and so on, sort it out.

Throw it or give it away. Make space.

Clear Out Your Handbag

And yes, even your hand bags, sling bags, man bags, backpacks, or whatever you use to carry your keys, wallet and so on: Clear it out.

The supermarket receipts, the empty lighter, the collected business cards and flyers: empty it out.

Whatever does not serve you anymore, throw it away.

You can also check your wallet while you are at it.

You will be surprised how many useless, outdated and even unwanted items you will find in your bag.

Remove Words / Phrases Out of Your Vocabulary

For a day or two observe yourself when speaking to others and yourself.

What are words and phrases you often use and that are low vibrating, holding you back or are based on past experiences?

Words have a lot of power and can literally manifest things into your life.

If you often say “This is too difficult.”, “Money is hard to get.”, “I am not pretty/intelligent enough.”, “This always happens to me.” Or even cuss words, stop using them.

Stop using words and sentences that do not make you feel good when saying them.

Just because it is “in” to use certain sayings you do not have to.

If these words do not resonate with or uplift you, cross them out of your vocabulary.

Let Go of Toxic Relationships

This might be a tricky one, especially if this refers to romantic relationships or family and friends.

However, if you know certain people in your life bring you down, have a very negative way of thinking and speaking or you feel drained after spending time with them: Let them go.

Or if you are the one always making the effort to stay in touch.  Let them go.

If you want for new, uplifting and enriching experiences to happen to you, start being selective with who you spend time with.

Time is precious.

If all your time is already spent on relationships that are not good for you, how will you have time for the good, fulfilling and empowering ones?

In case you cannot totally let go of a person as it is close family, then see how you can adjust the time spent with them to a bare minimum.

AS YOU can see there are a lot of ways and places where we hold on to things that do not serve us anymore.

Places where we can make space by sorting out. By decluttering. By simplifying. 

The above is a great way to start to effectively declutter your life.

To do all of these steps thoroughly you will need to allocate time for it. 

Cleaning out and making space doesn’t have to happen all at once, though.

It helps to take one of the ideas above every other week and do it. Clean out regularly. Make space for something new regularly.

At some point this will become a habit and you will declutter automatically without noticing it.

And of course, there are many more places you can apply this to: your work desk at the office, the bathroom cupboard, the attic or cellar, your book shelf, etc.

Just open your eyes at home, look around and you will know where else to tidy up.

Oh, and that beautiful, magical pen?

It is right in your hands already.

It is you, your creativity and actions taken.

It is your free will and motivation to create the life that you want.

You are the Creator of your Life. You are holding the pen.