[00:00:00] What if the thing that's keeping you from functioning isn't your ability to work harder, but the space you're actually living in? What if your environment is telling you something about who you're trying to be versus who you actually are?

Hey friend, welcome back to In the EllaMents. I'm Alishia Egenhoff, digital ad strategist, mentor, and the heart behind Social EllaMents Marketing. Around here, we talk about marketing, motherhood, and what it really looks like to build a business while also being a human with limited time, energy, and capacity.

So I had this moment a few months ago when I opened my pantry to start cooking dinner, and I am not exaggerating when I say things were literally falling out at me. I was digging around, trying to find what I needed, moving things aside, and then I realized I had already bought three of the [00:01:00] same item because I couldn't even see what was in there last time I went to the grocery store.

And that's when it really hit home, something has got to change. We moved into our home almost exactly six years ago, and our lives look drastically different now than they did then. My daughter, she was just starting kindergarten. She was only five years old. My son was a little second-grader. They are now preteens in junior high.

The toys, the snacks, the art supplies, those have all changed. Everything is different, but somehow our home was still organized for that family we were six years ago. We were living in a version of our lives that doesn't exist anymore. And here's what I know about myself. I absolutely do not function well in a cluttered [00:02:00] environment.

If you know me personally, you know this about me very well. There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, more likely to send me into a fit of rage cleaning than my kitchen counter cluttered with everyone's junk. I'm talking the old mail, the school papers, the water bottles everywhere. You can imagine it.

When there's clutter and disorganization around me, I cannot focus until it's dealt with. I've been known to not sit still, even if I am dog tired, because I can't stand the house to be in disarray. I just can't relax, which also means I cannot be productive when it comes to work. I think I might have some form of ADHD because of this.

If you're listening and you know, tell me. I'd love to, to get that information. But what I do know for sure is that clutter isn't just an aesthetic problem for me, it's actually a functional problem. It directly impacts my ability to work, to think, and to be present with my family. [00:03:00] So when I finally decided to tackle my entire house, not just the pantry, but I'm talking every single closet, drawer, room, it wasn't about making things look pretty. It was about creating the conditions where I could actually function again.

One of the biggest shifts happened in my own closet, and this might sound silly, but it was actually profound. I realized I was still holding onto clothes from when I worked in corporate marketing. Blazers, dress pants, high heels, all collecting dust, and I work from home.

My ideal outfit is leggings and a comfortable sweatshirt. That version of me, the corporate marketing version, she doesn't exist anymore. I recently read something too that said, "If you're holding onto clothes that don't fit or that you don't wear anymore, you're holding onto a previous version of yourself that doesn't exist anymore."

And that's exactly what I was doing. By letting go of those blazers and those heels, I made [00:04:00] physical space in my closet, yes, but more than that, I gave myself permission to stop trying to be someone I'm not anymore. I made room to find my style now in a completely different way with pieces that actually fit who I am and how I live my life today.

Now, I know sometimes it's really hard for people to let go of things. So when I was going through this process, I came back to Marie Kondo's framework because I think it's so helpful for this. And if you know and you're familiar, she talks about asking yourself one simple question: Does this spark joy?

When you hold an item in your hands, does it spark joy? And that's not just about feeling good in the moment. It's about asking your items to align with your actual life now, not the life you used to have, not the life you think you should have, but the life you actually live today, right now. I held up those blazers and thought, "Nope, those don't spark joy for me anymore."[00:05:00] 

These jeans that don't button that I'm saving for, you know, a rainy day when I lose the weight, nope, those don't spark joy in me anymore. They remind me of someone I used to be, and it was time to let her go. So I did. I let go of the blazers, the dress pants, the heels, the old jeans that don't fit anymore.

And you know what happened? I made room in my closet, real physical room, but also permission to find my style now with pieces I actually enjoy wearing, pieces that fit who I am now and I'm comfortable with.

Here's the thing, though. Clearing everything out in one weekend, my entire house, wasn't going to happen for me. I just do not have the capacity or the time to do that, and honestly, trying to do it all at once actually, I think it would have been overwhelming and would have made it harder. So I gave myself permission, and I encourage you to do this yourself, to work at a pace that was sustainable.

I'm talking one closet, one room, one cupboard, several weekends of work, and I'm [00:06:00] honestly, to be real with you, I'm still not done. I have my home office to tackle, which is going to be a beast. But this is the same lesson that we keep coming back to on this podcast. You don't have to do everything at once.

You work at a pace that's sustainable for you. You get to decide that, and the Marie Kondo method actually honors this really well. You go category by category. For me, it was room by room. Clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items, sentimental things. You're not trying to organize your whole home in just one day. You're moving through it intentionally, one category or space at a time.

The one thing that I did not expect wasn't about the big purge, it was what I started doing after. Because yes, you can declutter and organize, but if you don't have a system to maintain it, the chaos comes right back, right? And that's the other piece of this puzzle.

So I started implementing something that I had heard [00:07:00] on another podcast years ago, and that is giving myself 10 to 15 minutes every morning and every night before I go to bed for a little house reset. So in the morning, right after I drop my kids off at school and before I sit down to do work or client meetings, I do a quick reset.

So I put away dishes from breakfast, I straighten up anything that's collected around the house that morning. I make sure my kitchen counter is cleared off. And I do this usually while I'm having my morning cup of coffee and maybe listening to some music or a podcast, and it's actually become this really grounding part of my morning that I really look forward to.

And then at night, usually after dinner, I do the same thing. I put away dinner. I get my kids involved here if they're home and not doing their after-school activities. We do the dishes. We put things away that have collected throughout the day. And then before I go to bed, I straighten up, you know, the couch and all those pillows that seem to explode everywhere.

And it maybe takes, like, 15 minutes. But I want you to also realize that I [00:08:00] am absolutely a real person, so this does not happen every single day. But when I do do it, there's a huge difference between that chaos and that clarity, because when I wake up the next morning and my home is clean, or at least it feels put together, my head is clearer going into the day.

I can focus. I can think better. I can sit down for work or get through a client meeting without feeling like something is nagging at me. And at night, I get to go to bed in a calm space, which actually helps me sleep better. All of that to say, what I thought was just about decluttering my closet, my pantry, turned into something so much bigger.

It's about understanding that your environment directly affects your ability to function, and I'm talking mentally, emotionally, and professionally. When my pantry is organized, I'm not frustrated. When my kitchen counter is clear, I can focus on the work I need to get done. When my closet only has things that bring me joy, things that I want to wear, I [00:09:00] actually enjoy getting dressed in the morning.

When I do my little morning reset or my nightly reset, I get to start my workday with a clear head and a sense of control. And all of that together adds up to me being a better version of myself. It means that I get to be more patient with my kids, more present with my family, more creative in my own business.

But the deeper piece of all of this is letting go of stuff does more for us than just feeling organized. It creates space, and I'm talking actual mental and emotional space. It lets you breathe. And when you can breathe, you can think, you can work, you can be the version of yourself that actually exists right now.

If you're listening and your environment feels chaotic, or you're still holding onto things that represent old versions of yourself, clothes you don't wear, a life you used to live, [00:10:00] expectations that no longer fit, I want to give you some permission. You do not have to overhaul everything tomorrow.

You don't have to have it all figured out or have endless weekends to do it. You just have to start. One closet, one room, one drawer, whatever feels right at that moment. And as you go through, ask yourself that simple question, "Does this belong to who I am now? Or is this me trying to hold onto who I used to be?"

Because the truth is, letting go of the old makes room for the new. Releasing who you were makes space for who you're becoming. And then once you've done that clearing, set yourself up to maintain it, even if it's just that 10 or 15 minutes a day. That small daily ritual of resetting your space keeps the chaos from creeping back in. It keeps your mind clear. It keeps you functioning.

Ultimately, our homes are a direct [00:11:00] reflection of our lives. And our lives, they change. Your kids, they grow up. Your career, it might shift. Your priorities, they evolve. Your style changes. And sometimes we hold onto physical things that represent versions of ourselves that no longer exist.

But what if, instead, we could let go of those things and make room for who we actually are right now, today?

And just, I want you to watch what happens to your space. And I'm not just talking like your physical space, but to your mind, to your ability to show up for your work and your family. And you might be surprised at the peace that you naturally create, not just in your closet, but in your life. If you want to stay connected, I'd love to have you on my email list.

I send two to four emails a month with honest thoughts on marketing, motherhood, and building a business that actually fits your real life. You can join me through the link in the [00:12:00] show notes. Thank you for spending time with me in the EllaMents. Until next time, keep building with intention and give yourself grace as you grow.