As professional organizers, we’re always talking about clearing clutter from our homes.

But what if the first thing we need to clear isn’t our closet?

What if it’s our energetic field?

Recently, I read Clean Your Field by my good friend and longtime teacher, Michelle Rae Woodward, and it completely reframed the way I think about organizing.

I’ve been working with Michelle since 2016. As an energy healer, she has helped me through several significant losses in my family, challenging relationships, growing my organizing business, and navigating many of life’s ups and downs. (As a fun side note, Charlie proposed almost immediately after I finished her book—I couldn’t help but smile at the timing!)

Although Clean Your Field is a quick read, it’s filled with practical tools for calming your nervous system, becoming more intentional, and responding to life with greater clarity instead of reactivity.

One quote immediately jumped off the page:

“Every act of conscious care matters. Every time you regulate your nervous system instead of escalating. Every time you choose clarity over reactivity. Every time you ground instead of spiral. This is not small. It is stabilizing.”

That word—stabilizing—really stuck with me.

Because one thing I’ve learned after years of helping people get organized is this:

People rarely struggle because they don’t know how to organize.

They struggle because they’re overwhelmed.

You Don’t Need Another Storage Bin

Think about the last time you wanted to organize a room.

Did you jump right in?

Or did your mind immediately begin racing?

“I should clean the garage first.”

“I need to buy containers.”

“What if I throw away something I’ll need later?”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

Before you’ve picked up a single item, your nervous system is already working against you.

Michelle writes:

“When the nervous system stays activated for too long, clarity diminishes. Discernment weakens. We become more reactive and less intentional.”

Isn’t that exactly what clutter feels like?

Not just in our homes—but in our minds.

Clean Your Field First

One of the biggest takeaways from the book is that we don’t always need to work harder.

Sometimes we need to regulate first.

Michelle introduces her Field Reset Framework, a five-step process for “cleaning your field” in real time.

As I read it, I couldn’t help thinking that this might be one of the most overlooked organizing tools there is.

Imagine taking just five minutes before organizing to calm your nervous system instead of jumping in while already feeling overwhelmed.

How different might your decisions be?

How much easier would it be to let things go?

What You Focus On Grows

Another favorite quote from the book says:

“If you consistently focus on your problems, your brain scans for more evidence of them. If you focus on possibility and alignment, your brain begins highlighting those signals instead.”

This doesn’t mean pretending everything is perfect.

It means becoming intentional about where your attention goes.

When clients begin an organizing project by focusing on everything they haven’t accomplished, it’s easy to feel discouraged.

But when they notice what they’ve already completed—even one drawer or one shelf—they build momentum.

Progress creates more progress.

Shift the State

Perhaps my favorite line in the entire book is this:

“Shift the state, and everything else reorganizes around it.”

As an organizer, I couldn’t help but smile.

Isn’t that exactly what organizing is?

When we create order in one small area, the surrounding spaces often begin to fall into place.

The same thing happens internally.

When we calm our nervous system, everything else becomes easier.

Decision-making improves.

Focus returns.

Creativity increases.

Even difficult tasks feel more manageable.

Interrupting the Spiral

One section of the book that especially resonated with me was Michelle’s process for interrupting rumination.

Like many people, I sometimes catch myself replaying conversations, worrying about situations I can’t control, or having trouble disengaging from repetitive thoughts.

Her simple bilateral movement exercise helps interrupt those mental loops and support integration between the brain’s hemispheres. I’ve even caught myself using it while asleep, which made me realize just how deeply our minds can learn healthier patterns.

Organization Starts Before You Pick Up the First Box

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned—both from Michelle and from years of organizing clients—is that organizing isn’t just about creating systems for your belongings.

It’s about creating systems that support your well-being.

If your mind feels cluttered, your organizing project probably will too.

But when you take a few moments to ground yourself, regulate your nervous system, and “clean your field,” you create the conditions for better decisions, greater focus, and a much calmer organizing experience.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do before organizing your home…is organize yourself first.

Buy Clean Your Field today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted By Jean Prominski, Certified Professional Organizer

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