• A loose button on your shirt that you have meant to mend for weeks.
• Your grandma's old china that you never use but keep anyway.
• An old grudge against an old friend.
• Unworn clothes in your wardrobe.
• Gifts you received but don't really like.
• Fear of failure in your future business
• The oil change your car is in desperate need of.
• The rented DVDs you need to return.
• The filing you need to do.

• Dirty socks on the floor
• Coat hangers on the dresser
• Clothes on the chair
• Shirt with missing button
• Old, ugly wallpaper
• I hate the color and pattern of the bed sheets
• That statue doesn't fit there
• Kids toys under our bed

• Make dentist appointment
• Write thank you note
• Make service appointment for the oil change
• Clear grudge with old friend

• Make you aware that these items drain your energy
• Make you start repairing those energy leaks
• Give your brain a break (It's on the list, I don't have to continuously think about them.)

4. Create actions
You can't fix it if you don't know how. Take two items from one of the two lists (pick those that are easily doable/fixable) and circle them. In the second column, write down how you can fix this problem - you can write down multiple solutions:

• find a place for the statue
• give to my cleaning lady (Ask her first! You don't want to make your clutter hers!)
• bring to the Salvation Army

In the third column, write down a completion date. Do these two items this week.

5. Don't over-unclutter
Next week, pick another 2 or 3 items off one of the two lists, add a solution, and do them during the week.

6. Feel victory
As you start accomplishing more and more of these actions, notice the difference.

7. Welcome success
As you start literally cleaning up your life and space, you are getting rid of leaks that drain your energy. This energy can now be used to create the life you intended for. You are able to focus and success will naturally follow.

8. Future leaks
Although you will create new habits which prevent most energy drains, it is normal that over time, small leaks creep in. Now you have the tools to identify and fix them.

If something is not going so well in the future, ask yourself which energy drain might be the cause of it. Maybe you didn't exercise enough, lag behind in your filing or haven't had a massage in a year. Put it on the leak list and fix it this week!

Additional tips against clutter

1. ALL items in your house should be USEFUL and BEAUTIFUL.
“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.” - William Morris

2. ALL items in your house should have a PLACE.
If they don't have one, create one. If you can't create one, toss it.

3. Ask yourself, what is my MOTIVATION for keeping this?

• Guilt (It costs so much; it's from my dead grandmother.)?
• Fear (If I fail in my business, I will be glad to have kept this?)
• The image it gives (If I have this, people will think I'm successful.)
• Souvenir (It's from when I was a little girl.)

Don't link your items to past or future things. Especially not if they are draining your energy. You want to get rid of negativity. Trust your feelings, your instinct when you pick it up. If you don't feel good about it, throw it out.

4. Baby steps
Stick to the plan of doing a few things per week. Otherwise you get overwhelmed and will just stop the whole process.

5. Create a system
Avoid having to think about making appointments. Next time you're at the garage/hairdresser/dentist, schedule your next appointment(s). That way they are in the calendar and you can stop thinking about them.

6. Get committed
Put aside the time to do this. Get your partner involved.

7. Intention
And this should probably be up on the top of this article...
It all starts with your intention. What is it that you WANT? Write it down, clearly. Everything you do should be in line with your intention:

• Your actions (Is this in line with my goal? If not, why am I doing it? Do I have to do it?)
• Your language (No more 'I kind of, sort of, maybe want to do this')
• Your space (Is a messy living/working space in line with the successful business woman you intend to be?)
• Your people (Are you surrounded by supporters or energy draining whiners?)

Mimi is a working mother of two little boys, who likes to out her creativity through writing, painting and photography. She blogs about self-improvement, creativity, her hobbies and much more at Mindful Mimi.

If you have any questions about life in Luxembourg specifically or in general, let Mimi know via Expatica's Expat Aunt & Uncle pages.