Clutter

“Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.”

- Albert Einstein

Typically if you want to change something in your life, you will start by deciding to add something new. A new goal, a new process, a new exercise routine, or a new diet. These are all additions to daily life. If you want to get fit, you might join a new gym or hire a new trainer. These are all new additions in your life. You might establish a new daily meditation habit, or you might start going to a new church.

If your goals are business oriented or financially focused, you might hire a business coach, or a financial planner. You might establish a new savings account, or join an investment club.

These are all comfortable, typical steps for you to take, and they are likely to have a positive impact.

However, there is another approach to take to personal change, the opposite approach. Instead of adding something new to your life, you can start by getting rid of something. By getting rid of something in your life, you create more space in your life. Space for something new.

There are so many things in our lives that take up space and energy and attention. And so many of these things just waste our time and energy. These can be physical things or non-physical things.

So my advice for personal change is to start by getting rid of clutter. Find the clutter and get rid of it. Be rigorous and be thorough.

In my house, there are many forms of clutter, of which I am the prime owner and offender. I have books taking up space in almost every room of the house. Not just individual books but stacks of books. Yes, I have stacks of books in multiple rooms. Then there is the paperwork. Receipts, invoices, warranties, confirmations, and other various types of paper. HOW do these things multiply so quickly? Then there are the magazines and catalogs that NEVER stop being delivered.

Then I have all the clothes and shoes, for various sports and climates. I think I have currently have exercise clothes in five rooms of our house. I am not proud of this fact, but this is a fact. Don’t even ask me about how many types of socks I have, but at least they are semi-organized according to sport.

Now let’s talk about electronic clutter. My hard drive is nowhere near organized, and I have photos still to be downloaded from 3 separate cameras. These are just electronic version of clutter, because they are not organized. Oh, and actually I still have files on two separate laptops, one of which needs to go away sometime soon.

So let’s review my house: books, paperwork, catalogs, magazines, shoes, exercise clothes, laptops, digital photos. This is nowhere near a complete list, but just a decent start.

These are the things that get in the way of what I want most in my life. These are the things that keep my energy blocked, that keep me distracted from what I really want to focus on.

If I were to practice what I preach, I would focus all my free time over the next days and weeks to GET RID OF THE CLUTTER. So this is what I shall do.

If you would like to join me on this journey, there are numerous online resources that can provide organization ideas and tools. But don’t clutter up your thinking by googling “clutter.” Just decide to get started.

Make a list of what you are going to tackle and give yourself a deadline to get rid of the clutter. Pick a room or a closet or a cabinet. Then go purge. And you will find out how amazingly free you can feel.