Mind over Clutter

Ever felt like you’re running on a hamster wheel. Maybe the better question is – ever felt like you’re NOT running on a hamster wheel. It’s times like these that some goals feel like pipe dreams.  The goal might be the very thing that would get you off the wheel.  Like owning less stuff.

Take an overloaded home and the goal to reduce and simplify.

The concept that less stuff = more time and energy isn’t lost, it just feels impossible to reach! Especially if you are feeling tired and overwhelmed. Where is the time and energy going to appear from? How can a corner be turned when we can’t keep up, never mind trying to squeeze in time to declutter. If you can relate to this, I’m here as someone who felt the same way.

2 things I did to get off the hamster wheel

1. Took it one shelf, one drawer, one corner at a time
2. Made the difficult choice to prioritise my well-being and have less stuff

Fitting in 5, 10, 15 minutes on a regular basis starts the ball rolling and the very act helps with momentum. Releasing the hold ‘stuff’ has on us and prioritising ourselves above material items is key.

While the concepts are simple, this doesn’t make them easy.

But oh so worth it. When I first started to go through this process, I didn’t even realise clutter had such a hold on me.  It only became apparent when I went to get rid of stuff.  That’s when all the reasons appeared as to why I should keep them – that was expensive, a loved one gave it to me, one day I might need it, and on and on the reasons came.  Totally negating that I wasn’t enjoying my time at home, that I hated the mess, that I couldn’t keep up with life. But once I started to think about my well-being and comparing my reasons against this.  Once my thoughts turned to how different my life would be if I didn’t keep hold of everything. Once I stopped thinking about the overall job, instead focusing on dealing with what was in front of me, everything started to change. With new thought patterns comes new opportunities and it is amazing what can happen. We can start to see more clearly and solutions appear more easily. And you know what, 20 years on, I can’t think of anything I got rid of that had any major negative impact.  In fact, I struggle to remember specific items I got rid of. I’d love to here about one thing you struggle to get rid of and why? Don’t delay, start today Sara PS, you might like to check out my blogs on using the 80/20 rule and using maximums to help manage your belongings. There are a couple of mindset questions in there too PPS, Here’s the most ridiculous thing I bought under the guise ‘that will come in handy one day’