Take a look around you right now. Look away from the computer screen and scan around you: the surface of your desk or table, now scan further away to see the rest of the room. Close your eyes and imagine the rooms you can’t see from here; particularly the space where you most often work on your creative projects. Take a deep breath and really enjoy the image. What is the impact?

If you’re like me, a reformed pack rat and clutter magnet (and I think many creative people are), you may even find it hard to breathe, almost as if piles, clutter, unwanted and unusable items They were taking up air. Well they are!

Clutter—essentially anything you don’t need, use, or love—impairs your creativity on so many levels. In your workspace, it’s cluttered and makes it harder to find and use what you need to get your work done. In your schedule, create chaos and a sense of lack of time. In your mind, it blocks the path to your intuition and feeds fear and doubt.

In your heart, block out love and peace by holding on to negative emotions from the past. In your body, it weighs you down making it harder to take care of yourself and listen to the messages your body is sending you. In your relationships, it clouds your communication and affects your ability to give and receive.

This article will give you clues on how to spot the clutter in your life and tips on how to start removing it.

Do you have a physical disorder?

1. Do you spend a lot of time looking for things when you try to work?

2. Do you feel uninspired, or even carried away, by what you see around you in your workspace?

3. Does clutter distract you by reminding you of things you need to do (broken things that need to be fixed, half-finished projects, unanswered mail, unpaid bills)?

4. Are there things in your workspace that you haven’t looked at in years?

5. Does anything in your workspace remind you of unpleasant experiences?

Creative energy needs space. While some of the artists I spoke to when I wrote my book, “Creativity Interviews” (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/creativity-interviews.html), seemed to thrive on chaos and hustle, most he equated creative flow with a peaceful serenity surrounded by open time and open space.

Aside from the space and freedom from clutter in our “home base” (the workspace where we routinely write), sometimes it’s OUT THERE where we really do our best work. Riding on trains, sitting in cafes or surrounded by nature.

Do you have messy time?

In a random day:

1. Are there many things you did that you did not enjoy doing?

2. Are there a lot of things you did that you didn’t need to do?

3. Are there many things you did that didn’t do you any good (maybe even hurt you)?

The mess in our schedules can lead to a chaotic life while things seem to “happen” to us.

Do you have a mental disorder?

1. Do you get distracted by thoughts while trying to write?

2. Do you criticize yourself in your own mind?

3. Do you spend time replaying conversations or events?

4. Do you spend time speculating about future events?

Sometimes the chatter in our minds is constant and difficult to decipher. Other times there are the same loud, rude messages over and over again, messages like “You can’t do it!” or “You’re no good!”. All of them are distracting and make it much more difficult to listen to our muse.

Do you have emotional disorder?

1. Do you “meditate” on arguments long after they have occurred?

2. Do you hold grudges?

3. Do you spend a lot of time focusing on the things in your life that you don’t like?

Emotional clutter stems from the same pack rat habit of not wanting to let go. Instead of holding on to an old sweater with a button missing, he’s holding on to an old emotion. Once an emotion is over, it’s over, unless we decide to hold on to it. That is a powerful ability we have: to stay angry, sad, or anxious about something that happened three days or three YEARS ago, or to let it go and give ourselves freedom.

Do you have relationship disorder?

1. Is there someone in your address book that you would like to let go of?

2. Do you find it difficult to concentrate and listen carefully to people?

3. Do you find it difficult to be open to what other people offer you (ie appreciation from your audience or a compliment from a friend)?

4. Do you find it difficult to give freely (ie, act without being preoccupied with your own thoughts)?

5. Do you say “yes” to everything they ask of you?

Sometimes we cling to broken relationships for the same reasons we cling to broken things: because we believe they can be fixed (and that we’re actually going to take steps to fix them), and because they’re familiar and safe. .

Clutter in the rest of your life blocks your communication; it’s too hard to listen with all your heart when there are layers of clutter in the way. This also affects your inner listening: your ability to tune in to your intuition, your “muse.” Stage fright is a HUGE form of disorder.

Is the mess affecting your health?

1. Are you “too busy” to exercise?

2. Is fast food easier because you can’t find your kitchen counter?

3. Do you get exhausted from a busy day and then find yourself trying to “chill out” late into the night?

4. Do you not notice (or pretend not to notice) symptoms of illness or injury until they are so severe that you have to take drastic measures?

5. Do you have difficulty falling asleep because your mind is spinning or your emotions are running high?

If we are surrounded by clutter and chaos, things like eating vegetables or walking around the block just don’t seem feasible or important. And yet, if we don’t take care of our bodies, everything else becomes much, much more difficult and can lead to fatigue, disease, concentration problems, pain, addiction and weight problems.

Tips to clear the clutter

1. If you really want to tackle your physical clutter, I recommend the book “Clean Up Your Clutter with Feng Shui” by Karen Kingston. She has wonderful ideas for clearing clutter and also helps you to have a much deeper awareness of how clutter got into your life in the first place.

2. A simple method to eliminate physical clutter is to create three piles (boxes are helpful), labeled Giveaway, Throwaway, and Keep. You can add other categories if you want (ie recycling, repair).

3. To calm your mental disorder, try writing. In the artist’s way, Julia Cameron recommends writing three full pages each morning. She finds her own method: write to-do lists, poems, lists of all the people you’re mad at, respond to your inner critic, write about whatever’s buzzing around your ear. You can also write questions for your muse: help with a particular verse or a request for general inspiration.

4. To deal with the clutter of your time, just say “NO.” This is a muscle that could use some exercise. Put yourself and your creative pursuits first: Just because you’re home doesn’t mean you have to be available.

5. If emotional turmoil has your heart in knots, practice letting it go. Forgiving someone does not mean condoning what they have done. It means letting go and being open to positive emotional experiences.

6. To improve your relationship with your audience and combat relationship clutter, think about what they hope to get out of your performance: maybe be transported by the music, inspired, put their feelings into words, be calm. , to be “rocked”, to be energized or to be cradled. You have enormous power to give them these gifts.

This article originally appeared on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (Sept 2004) http://www.musesmuse.com.

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