It's been one of those weeks...

It’s been sort of a rough week around here.

My little peanut has forgotten how to sleep…again.

Full disclosure – he’s only actually slept “well” a handful of times in the past 6 1/2 months. Once he gets the hang of it (which requires some hard work and serious patience on our part) something happens (teeth, shots, new skill, life) and it’s gone again.

I’ve been exhausted…and a little edgy.

I miss sleep and I’m desperate to get some things done.

My creativity has been zapped and I feel like I can’t think.

As you can imagine, I was feeling stuck and overwhelmed. Top all that off with some not so great news last week and my stress levels = ramped up!

I was feeling desperate to “do” something to keep it together.

I recognized that I needed to feel like I had some control over something and I needed to feel like I could breathe.

So I hit up one of my go to methods that I know is tried and true – I did a quick closet refresh. I know I know – who wants to clean out their closet when it feels like the walls are closing in? But it’s amazing what just 15-20 minutes of focused clutter clearing can do.

I have learned over the years how to use my physical space as a canvas – to create on the outside what I want to experience on the inside.

My process goes like this – 1. Identify a manageable sized area (my casual pants shelves). 2. Remove everything and wipe the shelves down. 3. Sort through each item making a conscious decision to keep or to giveaway. 4. Fold and put back the keep pile. 5. Give away the giveaway pile.

Here are some pics 🙂

Full disclosure – I had a really tough time looking at my give away pile. There were some nice pants in there and it hurt my heart a little bit thinking of giving them away. BUT I’m tired of looking at my “maybe some day” clothes. I go into my closet multiple times a day and I feel better when that space is open, neat and filled with only what I love and what fits right now!

While clearing the closet didn’t vanquish all the weeks struggles (and it had no impact on little man’s sleep) it did help me feel lighter and more in control in the moment. AND now every time I walk into my closet I feel good about what I see – there’s no negativity or distraction, no petty annoyance, taking up any of my energy (I need every little bit I can get right now!)

Clearing the closet clutter helped me to create space on the outside which in turn helped me to create space on the inside! Ahhhhhhhhh – big sigh of relief!

Give it a try – I’d love to hear how a quick (keep it quick 15 – 20 minutes max!) closet refresh goes for you.

Another great area to try this for is your pantry, fridge or freezer – get a free 7 step checklist for that here.

Here’s to clearing clutter!