“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk” LOUISE SMITH
DECLUTTER Your Life and Get Organized
CLUTTER is stressful and distracting PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY!
It is almost impossible to find items when you need them. And it occupies your mind from getting stuff done. How can you focus on your work when that stack of paper is screaming for your attention? And your mind is clogged up with trivial matters that drain your energy?
It turns out that research has got my back on this.Declutter YOUR Life!
Study shows a link between clutter and procrastination. Numerous other studies have also found that clutter increases stress, decreases productivity, and makes it difficult to unwind. Moreover, clutter can encourage unhealthy habits, such as UNHEALTHY EATING and SLEEP PROBLEMS.
Too much clutter can signal a lack of control. And, most worrying to me is that clutter can clog neural networks. As a result, you will be slower and less efficient in processing information.
Overall, CLUTTER can negatively influence your health, work performance, and even your relationships.
Here Are Some Tips to DECLUTTER Your LIFE!
🌟Create a DECLUTTERING Checklistand Declutter Your Life
One way to alleviate fear is to realize that removing the clutter from your life does not mean living a life without any possessions you cherish. You will be reducing the number of things you own.
For example, do you need to have a closet full of blankets? You only need a lighter one for when it is warm and thicker and a comfortable one for the colder months. You may even want to keep a throw on your couch. But you do not need much more than that.
Create a DECLUTTERING checklist of the things you need to get rid of. It can help make this process less frustrating and give you a visual representation of what needs to be reduced.
🌟Do Not Overwhelm Yourself; START SMALLto DECLUTTER Your Life
Let me be real here.
How likely are you going to clean and organize your entire home, office, or life in one day? How likely are you to change unpleasant habits overnight? That would be so ambitious that it would overwhelm you and prevent you from getting started.
Instead, take baby steps.
Maybe set aside five minutes daily to straighten up a small area like a desk drawer or your car. Five to ten minutes to read The Holy Quran or The Bible. After building up some momentum, set aside more time. Dedicate a portion of each day to prayer and meditation.
🌟Conduct a Calendar Audit
Clutter is not just the items taking up physical space. It can also be the entries you have added to your calendar. This could be unnecessary meetings, committing to too many social events, and recurring events that no longer fit into your schedule.
Review your calendar and remove these tasks and events from it. Going forward, start saying “YES” to less.
🌟Reconsider Your Routine and Declutter YOUR LIFE!
Routines provide structure to your life. In turn, this reduces stress and makes your days less chaotic.
Establish a morning and evening routine. Jot down all of your daily and weekly obligations and add them to your calendar. Batch similar tasks together. And only commit to what you can realistically achieve in a day.
In short, establishing a routine brings order to your life. It will also help you become more productive and prevent you from muddling your day with unimportant activities.
🌟Unsubscribe and Remove
Struggling to keep up with your inbox is not just a serious waste of time — it is a distraction that is impairing your productivity and cutting into your enjoyment of life.
With that in mind, one of the easiest ways to address your inbox is to unsubscribe from emails that you never read.
The same concept applies to newspapers or magazines that you never opened.
Speaking of digital distractions, remove any unused apps from your phone. It will help keep your device running at peak condition as an added benefit.
🌟Do No get Sentimental
We all have items that we have an emotional connection to. You do not necessarily have to throw away all these items. But, again, the goal is to reduce them.
If you’re having difficulty with this, there is a simple solution. Just take a picture of the item and put it on the cloud. Not only will this help you let go, but it will also preserve the memory and not the possession.
🌟Automate
Here is a straightforward way to clear your mind; EMBRACE AUTOMATION. Examples include setting up auto bill pay, scheduling social media posts, or creating out-of-office auto-responder emails.
🌟Use the Four-Box Method
The four-box method is an effective and painless way to help you conquer clutter. Just find four boxes and label them with the following categories:
Trash: These are items that you no longer need or want. But they’re also not worthy of donating or selling.
Give away/sell: For the things that may have value to others, donate or sell them.
Store: Seasonal clothing is a perfect example of this. There is no need to keep your summer clothing hanging in your closet when it is 30 degrees outside. And do you NEED all those clothes anyway?
Keep and put away: For the things that you use. Regularly, detonate a home for them and put them away when not in use.
Two of the best ways to clear your mind and decrease stress and anxiety are to practice mindfulness meditation and prayer.
The reason that mindfulness works is that it redirects your thoughts and attention to the present. You will stop being consumed by the past, future, and negative self-talk.
Regular prayer will help to strengthen your faith and eliminate worry about things you have no control over.
🌟Unplug and unwind
Your brain needs time to rest and recharge.
As a result, you will be more productive and less stressed.
Schedule frequent breaks throughout the workday and get away momentarily. Go for a walk, read, or look out the window for a couple of minutes. At home, establish boundaries.
