by Marcia Zidle, Featured Contributor
DO YOU FEEL weighted down or stuck?. Maybe you have too much clutter in your life.
Clutter is anything that is obsolete, time-consuming and de-energizing. If you can call it clutter, then chances are good that it doesn’t belong in your life anymore. The four main types of clutter are:
Objects: It could be the boxes that you haven’t opened since you moved five years ago, the jewelry you no longer wear, the old business cards in your handbag, or the stacks of magazines and books that you will never look at again. If seeing them brings you down, most likely it should go.- Obligations: Obsolete roles and responsibilities can be the hardest to get rid of because they often involve other people — like boards, committees and clubs. You need to be sensitive to others when shedding, but you can’t let other people’s needs dictate your decision.
- Habits: If you are a perfectionist, a chronic procrastinator or a workaholic, you are doing yourself a great disservice. These habits waste time and energy and are stressful and draining.
- People: People can be just as de-energizing and draining as piles of newspapers and magazines. If there’s someone in your life who drags you down whenever you see them, whines and complains about life, only talks about themselves and never asks how you are doing, maybe it’s time to reconsider the relationship.
Shed What You Don’t Want
Once you have identified the different kinds of clutter in your life, now it’s time to get rid of the clutter that makes you feel stuck – that hold you back from the life and success you want. Here are four steps to get you on the road of a more balanced life.
1. Find the treasures and keep them.
A treasure is a useful object, activity, skill, habit or person that fits in with your personal theme. You may hold on to only about 20 percent of what you have when you go through the process, and that’s why they are called treasures.
2. Give the stuff you don’t want the old heave-ho.
Once you’ve gone through the process of choosing what stays, you have to get rid of the rest. Say goodbye and let it go. Decide what you will give away, sell, recycle or donate, then get it out of your space. Don’t let bags of stuff sit in the hallway or closet. If stuff is physically around, then you haven’t been successful in getting rid of it.
3. Redefine relationships.
It’s not easy to completely remove people from your life, so perhaps you can think about redefining the relationship. You want to be kind, but you must also be honest with yourself about which relationships nourish you, and which deplete you. If releasing someone completely isn’t an option, then figure out ways to limit the amount of time you spend together.
4. Move forward.
You can now use your space, time and energy for people, activities, objects, and experiences that will move you closer to your vision, your goals or your dreams.
Smart Moves Tip:
This is a continual process and a way of life. When you organize a space — your hall closet, for example — there’s a starting point and an ending point. When you go through a shedding process, there is often no obvious ending point. Your life, your situation, your job, your commitments will be changing. So make it a point at the beginning of every year revisit this process. You may find you’ve slipped back into some of your old habits, or piles of clutter have started to build up again. Remember change is a continuous process. So, de-cluttering your life will also be a continuous process.
