“Clutter is not just the stuff on the floor,
but anything that stands between you and the life you wish to be living.”
(Peter Walsh)
Do you ever find it hard to start the day’s tasks because there are just so many of them?
Or are there so many things cluttering your home or your office or your desk, that it’s difficult to locate what you need?
Perhaps there’s a noise in your head, the noise of thinking clutter that won’t go away, such as an awkward interaction with someone, things said, things you want to say; or you’ve been meaning to mail or call someone and haven’t got around to it?
All these get in the way of a productive day!
Decluttering can make you so much more productive.
- You will be able to find things easily without wasting time
- You won’t spend unnecessary energy on the search
- You will be able to focus on what matters
Here are ten tips to get you started:
- Write a list of tasks for tomorrow at the end of each day. Number them in order of importance and do the most important first.
- Get rid of physical stuff that bothers you most, to free some space in your place and your head. This might be a piece of furniture you don’t like and is grabbing lots of room. Or bric a brac you’ve gone off. Or clothes that don’t fit.
- Start small to avoid overwhelm. Choose one room to start in and one type of clutter. Decide what to get rid of and whether it’s for charity, recycling or sale. Place them in separate boxes marked, charity, recycle, sell.
- Don’t let indecision stop you. Mark another box with the word ‘dilemma’ and put stuff in there to come back to. Make a date in your schedule to do it.
- Allocate a time limit each time you declutter, such as 30 minutes, so it feels bearable!
- Delete digital clutter too. If you have a cluttered email inbox, set yourself a number such as 50 unwanted emails to delete per day. Unsubscribe from sites that bombard you with mails that don’t benefit you.
- Shred papers you no longer need or get a specialist company to do it for you, such as Paper Mountains.
- Does something keep popping into your mind and getting in the way of focusing, a spot of emotional clutter? Make a list of things like this you want to deal with. Have you forgotten to thank someone, is there a tiff or misunderstanding that you’d like to sort out, have you been meaning to reconnect with an old friend or family member, but the time never seems right? Do the number one on your list, then work down.
- We are a nation of hoarders and, if you are to succeed in having an uncluttered home or office, it also means holding back from buying new clutter to replace the old or signing up for new shops and information online.
- Ideally set the same time of day to dispose of your clutter so that it becomes routine.
If you are interested in exploring life coaching further, you are welcome to arrange a free initial call for 20 minutes without obligation. My combination of coaching and 121 training can add quality to your life personally and professionally and enable you to achieve your goals. It will be adapted to you as an individual and your unique circumstances.
Wishing you an uncluttered and more relaxed 2025.
