Clutter. Even the word feels heavy when you say it. We’ve become consumed by stuff and so inundated by things that we almost have nowhere to turn.

In the United States alone, there are more than 2.63 billion square feet of self-storage space. That’s more than three times the size of the island of Manhattan! And the occupancy rate of these facilities is 90 percent. Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. households rents a storage unit, even though 65 percent of those households have a garage. That’s not surprising, because the average U.S. household contains 300,000 things!

While the United States leads the pack in the amount of storage space rented, Canada and Australia are big fans too.

As we buy more and more, our homes, garages, attics, cars, and lives are bursting at the seams.

We all have areas where clutter tends to land, multiply, and live. These areas seem to be catch-alls for either stuff we don’t know what to do with or stuff that has outgrown its home.

1. Closets
Closets are the places where we tuck away our dirty little secrets. Whether it’s clothes in the back of your bedroom wardrobe that represent a happier or healthier time in your life or the junk-collecting closet that reflects old hobbies or goals, out of sight is never out of mind with clutter. Hidden clutter is an energy drain that is always calling for your attention, and it becomes fuel for your inner critic to squawk about what you should be doing.

2. Counters/Tabletops

Clutter that you see often is a consistent energy vampire, but the solution isn’t to tuck the items away in a drawer. The clutter that ends up on a tabletop is often the kind that an organizational system can handle effectively. For example, piles of mail can be eradicated by creating a routine of sorting it when you pick it up, discarding what you don’t need and finding a home for what you do. Overtly visible clutter is a loud-and-clear message that something needs your attention.

By ignoring it, you send yourself the message that you’re not a priority.

3. Desk/Office

Clutter in your home office could be suffocating your financial health. Perhaps you have unpaid bills you’re avoiding, taxes you haven’t filed, or bank statements that need reconciling.

It might just be a dumping ground for mail. Whatever it is, devoting scheduled time to sorting clutter here is a surefire way to boost your bottom line.

The same goes for clutter in an external work office.

While your work demands may result in a messy office, unnecessary clutter slows productivity and could act as a form of self-sabotage in your career. You may be overlooked for a promotion or find your job in jeopardy, again affecting your financial security.

A cluttered desk could also speak to a blocking belief about money. Do you judge those who have more than you? Do you fear others will resent you should your bank balance increase?

4. Car

Clutter in the car is often the first sign of feeling overwhelmed. Are you frantically rushing from one thing to the next? Is your calendar too full? The clutter in your car could be your soul asking you for some downtime.

5. Garage

Items in your garage quickly become part of the background scenery, so this area can almost always feel like a nonpriority.

However, each time you leave or return home, the mess before you saps your energy. Even if you don’t consciously see the boxes and bins anymore, your soul responds to them anew every day. Consequently, you operate from a disadvantage, never having enough energy to show up for yourself in the
way you’d like.

6. Attic

The attic, or clutter’s graveyard, as I like to call it, can contain the most ties to the past, holding you back from moving forward. Maybe you’re keeping heirlooms out of guilt, or your child’s baby clothes in hope of clinging to those precious years. Much of what is in your attic is likely getting in the way of your advancing on your soul’s journey.

What hidden messages might these areas be holding? When you consider each hot spot in its entirety instead of the specific clutter within it, you can get the big-picture message your stuff is sending you.