Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

mental clutter

Clear Your Space, Clear Your Mind

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As previously mentioned, your stuff can weigh you down. It can create chaos and keep you stuck.

As I have collaborated with clients, I have used a technique of identifying a clutter hot spot and tackling that one area to help them become unstuck in the decluttering process.

A hot spot is usually a small space like a bedside table or a part of a counter that attracts clutter or that drives you nuts when you look at it.

What might happen if today you identified your clutter hot spot and just tackled it? You might be amazed.

I was talking with a writer and friend who identified that they were stuck and were having trouble writing. We identified that the hot spot in the home was the space at the side of the bed. When they started to toss trash and then continued by removing items that belonged in other rooms as well as excess books or “to do” projects located there, this person was able to start writing the next day. Coincidence? Maybe. But I like to think that by clearing clutter from that hot spot space, the person conquered chaos and opened a creative opportunity.

What space or hot spot are you going to tackle to help you get unstuck?

 

 

Check In With Others

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In my last post, I wrote about mental clutter which relates to mental health. With the last two plus years of the pandemic, mental health issues have increased. Some may be related to social isolation, especially in our older adults.

If anything good has come out of the pandemic, virtual “meetings” or more FaceTime is one of the best things that came out of quarantine and the pandemic for me. And I am not sure why I never thought of it before. I would call folks or schedule visits, but those tended to be farther in between. A quick chat via whatever virtual platform you use, is so doable now.

Even though we are not as isolated as we were previously, I encourage you to reach out to others virtually or even with a written note. Make it a goal to keep reaching out to at least one person…even if it is for just 10 minutes…checking in on friends and family each week will help with our mental health.

Mental Clutter

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Mental clutter is simply anything floating around in your head that keeps you from thinking straight. It is our mind on overdrive. It could be those things you need to keep track of such as events, tasks you are putting off, negative self-talk, ideas, reminders, information overload, expectations, feelings and more.

Mental clutter can slow you down, affect your productivity and jeopardize your mental health. It can make you stuck by causing you to feel overwhelmed which leads to procrastination or anxiety and poor decision making. The noise in our thoughts can make us feel irritated as we go through the day, distracted and unable to focus.

Here are some ways of calming the noise of your thoughts so that you can focus:

  • Do a brain dump by writing down your thoughts and feeling
  • Make lists including tasks, gratitude/blessings, and accomplishments
  • Keep your work and office space free of clutter
  • Develop a routine or systems
  • Add down time to your schedule
  • Meditate and/or journal
  • Plan catch up days

By selecting at least one suggestion, you can free up some mental space and quiet some of the noise.

Declutter Your Schedule

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Simplifying your schedule and the busyness of the day may be crucial to avoid burnout.

Many of us have a list of never-ending commitments. Yet few of us can be healthy or happy without regular periods of downtime. While there is nothing wrong with being busy, those of us who over-commit or over-extended ourselves potentially face exhaustion and burnout. When you feel overwhelmed by your commitments, examine your motivation for taking on so many obligations so you can understand why you feel compelled to do so much. You may discover that you are being driven by a fear that no one else will do the job or guilt that you aren’t doing enough.

To regain your equilibrium and clear the clutter from your calendar, simplify your life by establishing limits regarding what you will and will not do based on your personal priorities.

Determining your priorities can be as simple as making two lists: one listing all activities essential to our life such as work, meditation, exercise and a second list that describes everything you do that is not directly related to your well-being. [Read more…] about Declutter Your Schedule

Unbeing Everything That Really Isn’t You

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“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” ? Paul Coelho

My word for 2021 is “be.” I have been working toward that word now for six months and I am not sure that I can say that I have been successful yet.

As previously shared, I am incredibly good at doing. I have a master list, a weekly list and a daily list which doesn’t necessarily leave time to just be.

Unbecoming or to stop being what no longer serves me seems more doable for me. Because I truly do not want to look up one day and say, “what happened to my life.”

Looking at it from the space of unbecoming asks us to throw off the messaging we receive from our loved ones, our society, our culture, our entertainment, our spiritual communities; all the things that don’t resonate with who we are at our core or that lead us into spiraling busyness. It is a call to release yourself from the idea that you are not enough and/or not doing enough. Freeing yourself can take you to new heights. [Read more…] about Unbeing Everything That Really Isn’t You