“Simplicity! Simplicity! Simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” (Henry David Thoreau)
IF YOU’RE FEELING STUCK, CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER
Have you ever considered that your level of dissatisfaction is proportionate to the amount of clutter in your life?
Our lives become cluttered in so many ways. You can probably relate to the idea of too much stuff in your life—attics, garages, closets, corners, or your email box—any available space is filled with stuff.
Add to that the clutter on your desk and/or in your office. Stacks of “important” documents that are now many years old and maybe even outdated.
Consider the baggage and clutter you drag around with you from your past—insecurities, resentments, mistakes that you still dwell on; old projects started and never finished. We hold onto friendships that maybe we’ve outgrown and take up precious time but don’t add to our quality of life. We carry around the clutter of old ideas and beliefs that no longer serve us, or that are just plain inaccurate.
There is the clutter of the present—information overload, countless to-do lists, multi-tasking, email, junk mail, texts, downloads, magazines and books that go unread month after month. All of it staring at you. Reminding you of all you should or could be doing.
Too much time spent thinking about and planning for the future can also be a form of clutter. Rather than appreciating the here and now, everything we do is focused on what I like to refer to as “future perfect” when all will be as we’ve dreamed of—the debts will be paid off, the house renovations will be completed, we’ll finally have the perfect job or partner….
Clutter robs you of time. Your stuff requires upkeep—either you maintain it or hire someone to do it for you. Your messy office results in time wasted looking for missing papers and notes, which eats up time you should be spending on higher priority tasks.
Sometimes we hide behind our cluttered lives and busyness to avoid bigger issues. We spend too much time on low priority tasks that don’t really matter and don’t add value to our lives, rather than taking the time to scale back and slow down. Why? Because meaningful change takes time and commitment and challenges us to stretch beyond our comfort zone.
Clutter robs you of peace of mind. It robs you of insight and good ideas—flashes of clarity get lost in the overwhelm of social media, Netflix, and other unimportant mental filler.
Clutter drains you of energy and keeps you stuck. The sheer bulk of it literally blocks the path for anything new to enter. As with trying to jam one more box into an already too full garage, so it is with your life. You can’t expect to attract what you want in your life unless and until you are ready to release the clutter that no longer serves you.
“Whether the clutter is physical, emotional, or spiritual, it all takes up space in your life.”
Clearing the clutter can have an amazing impact. Maybe you want to change jobs or relocate. Making space in your schedule, identifying and letting go of negative thinking, eliminating half-finished projects (without guilt), creates space—space to say yes to creating a business plan or attending an important networking event that can help you transition into a new career. Clearing the clutter makes room for the people and activities that will add dimension and color to your life.
When you eliminate the old and stale, you feel lighter and more energized. You become open and receptive to a world of possibilities that previously went unnoticed because of all that clutter.
THIS WEEK’S ACTION CHALLENGE:
Make a list of all the clutter in your life and decide to eliminate it one room, one thought, one file, at a time. Start with what seems the most do-able…maybe your sock drawer or that box in the garage that you haven’t opened since you moved 10 years ago! Commit to clearing out all the things that are keeping you stuck. No aspect of your life is off limits. Start thinking like a minimalist and just imagine what you can make time for once you eliminate all that clutter! Start by making a list:
Physical Environment
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Finances
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Work
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Health and Wellbeing
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Relationships
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Negative Self-Talk
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WEEKLY PROVOCATEUR:
What do you need to let go of, so you can start focusing on your highest priorities?
