Declutter Your Life

"Declutter Your Life" was first published in this blog on August 30, 2013.


                                                 Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.

Have you ever noticed how clutter just seems to creep up on you? It starts with one magazine left on the kitchen counter that mysteriously builds into a stack, one plastic grocery bag in the cupboard that multiplies into at least a hundred, the bills, newspapers, books that pile up -- and the list goes on and on.

Clutter in your life isn’t as innocent as you might think. For one thing, it can cause stress. The mess builds and builds, and in the back of your mind, you know you should clean it up, but when will you find the time? And, don’t you have to ask yourself why you’re saving all this stuff? What’s missing in your life – what void are you trying to fill?

Clutter isn’t only about overflowing closets, mail piling up on the counter, books that we buy and never read, magazine articles and recipes that we think we’ll use one of these days, phone numbers written on scraps of paper that we’re afraid to throw away – it’s also about the clutter we have in our minds.

Mind Clutter can stop you from doing what you want or need to do. Some examples of Mind Clutter are trying to remember everything you need to do, worrying about things you can't control, and obsessing over everything that needs to be done. The best way to de-clutter your mind is to write things down so you’re not trying to remember everything. Keeping everything in your head can be overwhelming and stressful. Writing things down and then checking them off as they're done helps you put things into perspective. And, you get a feeling of accomplishment as you check items off your list.

So, make a resolution to tackle your clutter -- in your home, your office, and your mind -- and see if you don't feel relief and peace of mind once the "mess" is cleaned up.

 

 

~~Weekly Challenge~~

 

*  List the places in your home, office, car where there is clutter.

*  Each week, pick one area of clutter from this list and clean it up. When the job is completed, cross
    the area off of your list. Note: Be brutal and throw away whatever you haven’t used in the last
    year, things you didn’t remember saving, etc. Keep only the essentials in this space.
 
*  Check your email folders. Delete all folders/emails that are not absolutely necessary.
  
*  Do not try to keep notes in your head. It’s too overwhelming. Buy a planner or a notebook and
    begin writing things down.

 *  Write down your feelings as you de-clutter your life.


Blessings,

Cindy

            This information is excerpted from my CD "10 Keys To Emotional Freedom"