Life is not simple.

You don’t need to look far to see complications, noise, and clutter.

It just happens.

It comes in many too many ways—work, email, your kitchen, your desk, your car, endless piles of paperwork and even your thoughts.

What if you changed all that?

What if you decluttered your life?

You know what – you can!

If you declutter your life, you’ll find freedom to function at your best. You can live fully and work most productively. You can play and work freely and attentively, focused on the moment, without the distraction of “stuff” anchoring you to projects that may be left unfinished.

The more organized you are; the less time you need to spend looking for things. The more orderly (without becoming obsessed) you can keep your space, the more efficient you can be.

Friend, I challenge you to declutter your life. I don’t just mean the paperwork on your desk and your side of the closet at home.

I mean everything.

Your email, your car, and even your emotions and activities.

You can live a less cluttered life, but this takes intention, commitment, and the willingness to say no to activities that you may want to say yes to. Your priorities need to be clear, and by saying no to one activity, you’ll have time to say yes to something more important.

While I encourage you to organize your desk and your closet, I also encourage you to dig deeper and organize your time. Spend time engaging in only activities that bring you joy, or bring you closer to success in your life.

Top 10 Ways to Declutter Your Life:

  1. Get a fast start! Create a list of high traffic areas in your life that need an organization transformation. Areas that are the most cluttered are closets, kitchen drawers, counters, kid’s rooms (you can include them in this challenge) and home offices. For 10 days, spend no more than 30 minutes decluttering a new area each day. Be proud of your progress.
  2. Conquer your email. Read it, then file it away or delete it. Don’t let it sit in your in-box.
  3. Let your work space be your work space. It doesn’t need to be more than that. Keep your desk clean so you can work, and your mind can function at its best. File old papers that you don’t need, toss them or shred them. You don’t need to save everything.
  4. If it goes into the car, it comes out of the car. Keep your car clean and free of clutter. You’ll like the way you feel when you’re driving it. It can be your rolling reminder and symbol of an orderly life.
  5. Write daily. Buy a journal that gives you space to write down things you plan to accomplish, your goals and even your concerns. Do this instead of using post-it notes all over the place. Respect your thoughts by giving them a dedicated a place to land, and free your mind of the space it takes to carry them around.
  6. Purchase things you need, not that you just gotta have. Chances are you already have enough. If you need it, buy it. If you don’t, leave it. Put more energy into having experiences in life instead of buying more and more things.
  7. Don’t spend your time managing stuff.  Keeping things comes with a price—they take up valuable space, your time to manage them, and money to repair them.
  8. Create the habit of giving things away. These could be things you no longer use, or things that you actually really like. By giving from the heart, you’ll become both a giver and a receiver. Quick Tip – donate clothes you haven’t worn for over a year!
  9. Be intentional about your time at work. When you are at work— work. When you are at play—play. When you are at rest—rest. Don’t mix these. Multi-tasking doesn’t work, and just adds to the clutter in your head. Master the skill of focus, and watch clutter fade away.
  10. Be grateful. Live thankfully. Appreciate the gifts in your life. Instead of seeking more, know that everything you already have is a precious gift, and is likely much more than you’ll ever really need.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you live a less cluttered life. Please shoot back an email and tell me how you do it.

Thanks!

Coach Brett

 

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