by Randi Levin

“Metaphorically, how you use your space is how you embrace your life. Making use of personal space in a way that resonates with your mental and physical arena provides a great way to hack into and upcharge your productivity and your energy.” ~ Randi Levin Coaching

Are you using all the rooms in your home or apartment?

Those of you who are in 600 square foot studio apartments may be saying, “I use every inch,” and yet my question still remains. Are you using your space and if so are you using it effectively, productively, and with intention?

As I begin the personal process of downsizing over the next 18 months to 2 years, this concept is really hitting “home.”

Metaphorically, how you use your space is how you embrace your life. This shifts over time, yet you may not recognize the significance of what “home” represents at different stages of your life if you are not mindful of these subtle changes.

I am used to spreading out. Often, in my current home, there are rooms like my adult children’s bedrooms that I may not even enter for weeks. We have bathrooms that we have turned the water off in because no one is using them! Yet the illusion of space is there, and I think that it erodes our perspectives. It is clearly time to move when the fit feels off.

I know for me, moving from Bergen County NJ, where I have spent most of my life is going to have some bitter sweetness, yet, I also know that NYC is calling to me, as is apartment life. I recognize that our dream of having a home in Scottsdale, one that my husband and I have discussed for 3 decades, simply feels correct and actionable now. Although I am not looking forward to the physical moves between opposite coasts, I am looking forward to the alignment of space and place with who we are now. I am excited for choice, and chance, and the ability to unclutter and reposition from a different need and a shifted vantage point.

If you want to re-focus on goals at hand, then is it not more productive to do so from a tighter, more aligned point of view? Making use of personal space in a way that resonates with your mental and physical arena provides a great way to hack into and upcharge your productivity and your energy.

Just like your purpose, and values shift and transform over time, so does your need to fine-tune and identify where and how you are living. What is too much and what is too little? A bit of Goldilocks perhaps, but it makes so much sense to me that bigger does not always mean better. Just because you have lived someplace “forever” does not have any bearing on tomorrow. Essentially, how you use your space is about timing, proportion, and fit.

What’s now and what’s next?

3 mindful hacks to position your physical and mental space so that they work NOW:

Reinvent your space: Have an excess of rooms that you never use? Reposition them. Perhaps a grown child’s bedroom is now the perfect office that you have always wanted. No longer need a playroom…how about a home gym? Having a shrine to what was, does not bring it back or preserve it for infinity! Using what you have as a reflection of who you are today is empowering and energizing.

Conversely, struggling with tight quarters? Then maybe it is time to consider a larger home or apartment, or to cohabitate with a roommate in a bigger space than either of you can achieve on your own. Finding a roommate is no longer just for our post grad years. Women especially are seeking out roommates later in life post-divorce, or in widowhood, as a way to maximize money, space, and comradery.

Clean: Let’s face it, closets filled with clothing that does not fit, and attics storing boxes of unwanted items inherited or forgotten weighs you down! There is something so enticing and refreshing about letting go of what you don’t need and what you will never use. Disposing of overflow does not always mean just giving it away (although your charitable gift is gold to someone in need) it could also mean selling it. Repurposing clothing and collectibles virtually or through a garage sale, or resale shop, can not only support you in creating space for what you do want in your life, it is also an instant stream of unanticipated cash flow. When you let go of things…you organically create physical and mental space to permit in something new and coveted.

Think like a realtor: A realtor would show your entire house, not just part of it. Are you showing all aspects of YOU? Are there rooms that you are hiding in whether in your home or in your heart?Doors you are not exiting from, physically or metaphorically? Your home can often become your comfort zone. This is a great foundation and support, yet if never expanded upon or refreshed, a gap can form between what the outside world sees and what an inside peek would reveal.

You would not hesitate to mow your lawn, or decorate your living room, or paint your walls. Yet are you giving your personal self the same care, upkeep, and nurturing?

Get a jump on “staging your home for resale” by investing in it and YOU right now!

See the synergy? Make it work for you! Otherwise, it is like you are closing a door on a room you don’t want to deal with! Use your space…where your mind goes…you follow!

Let me know your thoughts at Randi@RandiLevinCoaching.com

Randi Levin CPC, founder & CEO, Randi Levin Coaching – is a nationally recognized transitional life strategist, Fortune 500 keynote, author, and reinvention expert. Randi supports women in becoming legends in their own lives! She works with emerging entrepreneurs and women in transition to redefine their legacy so that they can move from wanting success to living successfully. Randi is widely quoted and featured in top media outlets and she is regularly a featured guest expert on podcasts, radio, and women’s panels. Her workshops have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Randi is the creator of The Personal Success Accelerator System and a contributing author in the anthology series Get RESULTS!