Navigating transitions
and the messy middles of change
“Welcome to the miserable middles of change. This is the time when Kanter's Law kicks in. Everything looks like a failure in the middle. Everyone loves inspiring beginnings and happy endings; it is just the middles that involve hard work.”
––Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Happy spring, everyone!
When you view my one-second video for the month of March (see below) and see all the beauty mixed with the chaos, it looks like the life of five different people. There are so many disconnected moving parts... until you realize there's a theme here. Transition.
Moving between worlds is messy.
Indeed, March was a month of saying goodbye to our beautiful home in Mexico and reclaiming the home we left in Massachusetts four months prior. Did I mention an epic, out-of-body stint in one of the most grandest hotels in Mexico City that we squeezed in the middle?
We returned home to dust and chaos as five guys rushed to finish installing a whole new heating and cooling system that will take our 1875 home into the 21st century. (And sidebar: our minds are blown by how great… and quiet… and toasty… and sustainable it is!!!)
Pulled out of the rafters during the installation, we also came home to a treasure trove time capsule: countless movie posters that people used in the 1940s to insulate their homes. As a prescient reminder of what we would be going through 80 years later, one of them was aptly entitled "Blossoms in the Dust." Who knew?
Needless to say this project has ushered another wave of decluttering as we ruthlessly decide what stays and what goes back into the attic. (Not much).
Three weeks in and we’re still at it, deep in the slow-drip process of culling through the last of the boxes still sitting in our dining room: old artwork, childhood memorabilia, and yearbooks reminding me what I looked like in ninth grade (replete with hysterical typos).😜
If you could use an inspirational refresh this spring, keep scrolling. Besides my latest video romp, there's a lot here to help raise your game to a whole new spacious level.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this headline: Life is short. Say yes to FUN and laughter. Embrace the messy middles. And keep clearing! You don’t need as much as you thought you needed. You really don’t!
Happy clearing,
Q&A: Ask Stephanie
Getting on the clearing track... and staying there
Q: You have a lot of great resources but it feels like more than I can handle and stick with. Can you suggest a more directed approach that would help me stay on track and get the most out of your work?
A: Yes! (And PS, you are not alone.) I recognize that when it comes to clearing the Spacious Way, there are three books and four online courses you can reach for now. I also recognize how easy it is for overwhelm to swoop in and derail your best intentions. If you're new to my methods, how
would you know where to begin?
For all those reasons, I mapped out a simple 3-step way to work with my books and courses. Whether you prefer to clear on your own or as part of a "clearing circle" book group, this guided approach will give
you an easeful and lasting way to play a much bigger game. Click the green button to find out how.
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My March (Madness)
3-Minute Video
[Best viewed with full screen and sound up]
In joy!
Clearing out years of stuff
How we did it
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If you’re curious to know what my husband and I did exactly to empty our 1875 attic and process the stuff as it went out the door, CLICK HERE.
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And PS, the system we used applies to any cluttered space you are dealing with – be it an attic, basement, garage, closet, or any other overstuffed, funky, or neglected area of your home.
Your Spacious Self
Clearing made simple that lasts
Want to play a much bigger game with clearing clutter – be it physical, mental, or emotional? This book lays it all out.
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A Year to Clear
Clearing from the Inside Out
Wonder how taking the smallest steps in clearing can lead to big, lasting changes? This book guides you the whole way, one day at a time.
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A Year for You
Clearing the Spacious Way
If you could use a week of soulful nourishment, imagine what can happen when you take a whole year! This book gives you 52 weeks to tend, untangle and find your way home to you.
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Clearing Online
Join 250,000 participants!
Check out Stephanie's popular online courses on DailyOM designed to lift, lighten, and enlighten.
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Stephanie Bennett Vogt is a leading space clearing expert, teacher, and author of five books and four online courses. She brings forty years of experience to SpaceClear, a practice she founded in 1996 helping homes and people come into balance.
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