Tips for organizing and minimizing clutter, inside and out
We all know how anxiety-inducing living in a cluttered, unorganized space can feel. Whether it's your home, car, workplace or, especially, your mind, it can be downright overwhelming - leading to irritability, frustration, and a weight that can seem source-less.
With will and intention comes the ability to clean up your life, toss out the clutter, and organize what you decide you actually need around. The intention of this article is to help you do just that.
Write it down, journal, take notes...whatever you feel empowered to call it.
The benefits of journaling are straight undeniable, and a less cluttered mind is at the top of reasons I'll share with you today.
There are no rules or guidelines to journaling. It does not matter how great your grammar or spelling are. You simply need paper and a writing utensil. I do suggest scooping up a notebook that you visually dig and a pen that suits your fancy (I know smudgey ink isn't my thing).
"Write it down on real paper with a real pencil. And watch shit get real." -Erykah Badu
Simple list-making and jotting down of short thoughts (both referred to as bullet journaling) is a great place to start, especially if the idea of journaling feels intimidating or you consider yourself "not a writer." You can use this technique to keep track of to-do lists, social meetups, calendars, food joints you want to try someday, sleep logs and so much more.
This is all about you - your preferences, your life, and the clutter you need to get out of your head and onto paper so you can function more in the present; returning to the rest later if needed...because it's written down! Ya see?
Clean up your physical spaces. I feel inclined to guess that you've procrastinated long enough in doing so, yeah?
I'm pretty sure there are studies that prove physical clutter contributes to mental and emotional discord. At the least, disarray definitely leads to spiked stress levels. So when you catch that accumulating pile of what-have-you out of the corner of your eye, it has a bigger impact on your brain than you think.
I know, I know...it can be downright overwhelming to even contemplate getting started. Which is why you still have old food in your car and little piles of crap on your desk and chair at home (no judgement here). But as with most things in life, taking it little by little will get it done, and I can guarantee you will feel increased clarity and inspiration as you watch the piles start to dwindle.
Maybe focus with the area space you spend the most time in, aiming to create a clean and organized space to gather yourself and de-stress throughout each day.
And don’t just limit yourself to decluttering your physical spaces! Your email and social media accounts could probably use some fall decluttering, too. Get on it, doggone it.
Focus on one task at a time. Aka stop compulsively multi-tasking (damn the man).
You may consider yourself quite the multi-tasking machine. Which, in our "do-do-do" society has been applauded loudly and proudly.
I, admittedly, have mentioned that "skill" in multiple interviews and project meet-ups in my time. And in my learning and application, I will be the first to also admit that such a trait is a sure-fire way to add clutter to my clarity and focus.
In the age of steady distraction opportunities (see below), it's easy to have a foggy vision for goals and tasks at hand, even if you're the master to-do list maker.
When sucked into the loop of multi-tasking, even while trying to complete the task at hand, you’re still focusing in part on other tasks in the background. Cluttering your ability to put full effort toward what you're actually spending time with.
Get that clutter outta there! And let yourself fully be with what you're actively doing. The rest will wait. And get its fair chance at your full focus.
Stop over-committing yourself, both at work and at home.
We collectively live in a decently fast-paced society, dominated by frequent and often unreasonable work obligations on top of trying to cultivate a "social life" and you know… breathing.
It can be too easy to forget that you can say “no” sometimes; instead happily obliging to everything only to realize you don’t actually have the time or energy (same/diff) for even half of it. Heck, even just the thought of setting boundaries and self-lovingly choose to pass on an invitation can be anxiety-inducing.
But if you truly want to declutter your mind, choosing to practice instilling those boundaries - taking on at least a little less - is a beautiful way to do it. Yes, I am telling you that cancelling plans or graciously turning them down in the first place is okay! Especially if it means support for your sanity.
Be realistic about what you need to do versus what you feel like you have to do (refer to the part about journaling and list-making above) and set aside time for yourself above all. Above. All.
Sometimes it just takes a priority shift. I promise, you won't really miss out on anything. "Declutter by dropping the FOMO." -me
Ditch the distractions. Might I suggest involving the TV?
How often do you find yourself struggling to carve out time for self-care (including but not limited to any of the decluttering suggestions listed above)? Now, how truthfully will you admit that you regularly prioritize distracting tasks and often mindless information instead?
The problem with too much information is that it creates a mental habit of constantly wandering off in thought and focus. The embodiment of distraction and clutter.
If there existed a pie chart for distractions and over-consumption of info, I feel television would likely occupy the biggest piece of it. And with the options for immediate streaming on the steady incline, it's easier than ever to distract yourself from more fulfilling projects...because you know there's no stopping at Season 1.
Sure, we all tell ourselves (conditioned much?) that TV is a good way to settle the brain and wind down, but it’s really doing quite the opposite. TV is largely more so a choice to subject yourself to a constant influx of other people’s ideas and opinions, which undeniably (if you're being aware and truthful) impacts your own ideas and thoughts.
Choosing to pass on your nightly television session could easily open up an hour (or three!) for you to dedicate to yourself in more healing, healthful, and clarity-inducing ways. Try it today! As tempting as it might be to put off until tomorrow. You know...further cluttering your list of procrastinated tasks.
If it feels overwhelming to start bypassing your TV time, limiting other media consumption including social media trolling and web surfing is an equally good idea. Setting time limits and content boundaries are both excellent ways to help you do just that. Because l*rd knows that scrolling time adds up quick!
"Clutter isn't just the stuff on you floor - it's anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living." -Peter Walsh
Internal clutter will always be reflected by accumulation of the external. And vice versa. Overall, when it comes to decluttering your life, be decisive, be discerning, and be bold and courageous when it comes to establishing boundaries. Your focus and wellbeing are depending on it.
By Sam Jump
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