Walk into a space that doesn’t make you feel good in it, and there’s something wrong with that space.

On the other hand, walk into a space that uplifts you and I can say with full certainty that there’s everything right about that space.

A pleasant space affects our well being in the way that a child or loved one (or even a pet) gives out loving kisses that results in our feeling of joy and happiness. It’s just a “feel good” feeling overall.

Yet, a hostile space makes us feel uncomfortable or sad or frightened or angry or in despair. A hostile space always creates a negative feeling, no matter what that negative feeling may be.

Sometimes we can escape a hostile area as swiftly as we entered it, and sometimes we are left stuck in it for a certain period of time.

What’s a hostile area, you ask? Well, let’s look at a homeless person’s encampment – usually cluttered with unattractive items stacked like a pile of garbage thrown on the ground. You probably don’t feel so good in that area, right? So essentially, if you’re not feeling so great, it’s considered hostile toward your well being.

Clutter isn’t pretty. I’d have to say it’s hostile to our spiritual well being. A cluttered environment is going to drive us down unless we sweep it out of existence.

If the space is cluttered, it’s an indication that we’ve been in a bit of a slump (spiritually or otherwise). It’s a viscous circle because the area is making us feel bad, yet the space got that way when we were not feeling so chipper.

Simply put, our environment can make us feel good, or it can make us feel bad. And our own space is usually a reflection of how we’re feeling most of the time.

If we start feeling better about life and things in general and then we walk back into the bad environment we had created while we weren’t feeling so great, we’re likely to head back into a slump.

This is where we need to pull ourselves up and get our environment in good shape first and foremost, no matter what it takes.

A happy environment will smile at us. And that is just good for the soul.

Watch my latest video where I give some solutions to make your environment a happy one.

Giving a space-lift to a cluttered home is like a face-lift to your face – you are giving your space new dimensions and a new look that makes it more beautiful.

After all, when we start getting wrinkles on our face, bags under our eyes, or sagging necklines, we want to do all we can to bring back some of the youth we once had.

The same principle applies to a room that’s sprinkled with clutter, sagging with overloaded shelves, or stuffed with too much stuff in cabinets and closets. When it starts happening (or has existed for too long), we should want to make it more beautiful again, or at least more livable.

So, here’s some fast and easy ways to do a space-lift without spending a lot – like you are doing design on a dime!

1. Remove clutter

Gather up all clutter in the area into sorting bins

De-cluttering the living room and family room are good places to start because these are common areas of the home and can accumulate the most stuff which ends up out of place for long periods of time, sometimes indefinitely. So, begin by collecting any items on the loose lying around and put them in receptacles by category / type.

Once that is done, your area will be clutter-free!

2. Give the area more space

Re-arrange furniture and items in room to make it more spacious.

Situate furniture so it’s more functional for the room and get rid of too much furniture for the space. Same for items on table-top surfaces and bookshelves.

The transformation of your space is now even more visible – and that’s without spending a dime on new paint, flooring or new furniture!

3. Streamline your belongings

Sort through each clutter receptacle to determine if you want or need the item in it.

So far you’ve done the easiest part of the easy ways to do a space-life and haven’t spent a dime yet. Don’t stop now! You’re almost there!

This is typically the longest part of the organization process, but a very necessary part. If you end up leaving everything in its sorting bin, you’ll just end up with organized clutter in some area of your home.

The easy way to tackle this step is just to dive right in – one receptacle at a time – and start looking at each thing you pick up from it. Take all the time you need on this and don’t worry – you’ve had this stuff lying around for quite some time so another few days or weeks sorting through the stuff shouldn’t matter much.

4. Give stuff a home

Find the right organizing solution for your stuff.

Now that you’ve sorted through everything and know what you’ll be keeping, you can either a) put it away where it belongs or b) find a new home for it.

That “home” might be in a new container, bin, basket, or some type of holding place or storage containment product. This is where you’re going to end up spending a little of your cash if you don’t already have something to use around the house.

You might think this step isn’t so easy, but it is. Not only that, but it’s the most fun!

Just make a list of the stuff you want to contain and go into a discount department store to walk down the home organization isles. Or, go online to have a look around (and those Pinterest Boards for home organization are fabulous!). You’ll find plenty of organizing solutions, ideas and inspirations doing any of those things.

Now, it’s done! You’ve completed a space-lift and didn’t spend a small fortune doing so! Step back and enjoy the new view of your space.

[Note: All images from DVD clips of “Get Organized With Cyndi Seidler”]