Blog Short #236: Is Your Life Cluttered? Time To Spring Clean It

I recently did some spring cleaning, but not the kind you’re thinking of. I didn’t tackle my house, garage, or office. I didn’t clean out my car. Not that those things don’t need attention; they do.

I worked on decluttering my habits, open loops, information consumption, and priorities.

I conducted an internal scouring because I was frustrated with some of my tendencies and unfinished projects. It was very helpful.

Sometimes you need to step back and carefully look and evaluate where you are. What changes do you need to make to streamline your life so you don’t whittle away your time and lose track of what’s important to you?

Conducting an internal spring cleaning is just the thing to help you do that.

I’ll tell you what I did to get you started. You might have different areas you want to tackle than mine, but you’ll get the gist of how to do it.

How to Start

You can begin in several ways:

You can list what’s most important to you to use as a measuring stick as you go through your decluttering process.
Another approach is to list the main areas of your life you want to tackle: finances, work, relationships, health, parenting, etc.
You can also start by acknowledging your accomplishments for the year thus far, which helps you define what’s left undone.
Or you can dive in with specific areas you want to streamline or declutter, and through that process, clarify what’s most important to you.

I chose the fourth option. I dove into areas I knew needed some decluttering.

After reviewing them carefully and deciding what needed changing, I gained a clearer picture of my priorities and made a list, which I’m going to hang on the wall in my home office to see daily.

Here are some areas I tackled that might resonate with you.

1. Open Loops

For this section, I compiled a list of all the unfinished projects and items that have been on my to-do list for a long time, but haven’t been completed.

It was rather eye-opening. I was aware of some of them because they whirl around in my head, but I didn’t realize just how many there actually were.

Many of them were easy fixes; I just needed to take action. Others are large projects that have been dragging on for a long time; in some cases, for years!

Just a few examples:

Over 3 years working on an online course on communication
Neglecting to schedule several necessary appointments to get some household things done. I had five of these.
Finishing up my Will. The will itself is done, but I haven’t secured it in a sealed container and written the instructions to go with it.

These are just a few to give you some ideas of what you might have on your plate.

Open loops hang out in your subconscious, often surfacing in your conscious mind and swirling around, using up emotional energy.

You can feel overwhelmed without knowing why! What happens is that when you encounter daily stress, it piles up on top of these open loops that are already draining you.

2. Information Detox

I’m an information hound. I love to read, both fiction and nonfiction. I’m interested in national and world affairs. I love learning about history, science, psychology, and spirituality.

That’s all great, but information overload isn’t ideal.

To address this issue, I created a list of all the types of information I consume daily and weekly, along with the sources used.

By doing that, it wasn’t too hard to decide what to cut out.

I unsubscribed from things that were flooding my email inbox every day, some of which I never signed up for.
Significantly reduced my news intake and streamlined the sources I use.
Conducted a thorough digital declutter and set specific time limits on my social media usage.
Made a list of the books I wanted to read and prioritized them.

Overall, I increased my reading time and decreased my digital involvement.

When you do this type of decluttering, it’s good to be very specific and quantitative.

Instead of saying to yourself, “I’ll reduce my social media consumption,” say, “I’ll limit myself to 10 minutes per day on social media.”

Be clear so you can effectively schedule and stay mindful of whatever you decide. Otherwise, you’ll revert to your default.

3. Habits (Yikes!)

To make this exercise more palatable, I listed all my good habits first. That proved helpful, and I realized I have many good habits, which was satisfying.

After completing that, I listed the habits that need to be tweaked or eliminated.

Then I created an action plan and scheduled it.

For example, I’m a sucker for new ideas, courses, approaches, etc. In other words, shiny new objects. I buy them, start them, and often don’t finish or use them. I added it all up – time, money, distraction. Then I decided what to keep and finish, and limited any new materials for a significant amount of time.

You may have habits like this one or others that detract from your well-being or create new problems.

Overspending is a prime example of this. Addictive habits also fall under this umbrella.

Take an inventory:

What habits do you need to change or let go of?

4. Relationships/Social Interactions

There are many possible areas to review in this category.

Are there relationship amends you need to make with anyone?
Do you have any issues that need addressing? Difficult conversations you’ve been putting off?
Are you happy with your behavior in your intimate relationships? Is it aligned with your values?
Do you need more or less social contact? Are you too accessible or not accessible enough?

These questions will get you started.

Your thoughts about your relationships will depend on where you are in life and who you live and interact with.

After answering these questions for myself, I decided to spend more time with my siblings. We’re all getting older, and time is precious.

5. Environment

Your environment can pertain to your physical surroundings, such as your home, office, and neighborhood. It can also encompass your emotional and psychological environment. We’re assessing the latter one.

What is yours like? Is it comfortable, stressful, warm, overwhelming, tense, or inviting? How do you feel at home, at work, or with your family?

Secondly, what is your internal emotional environment? Are you experiencing depression, anxiety, or other emotions? If so, what steps can you take to address these? Do you need more social interaction? Do you require therapy?

Taking careful note of your emotional environment and objectively evaluating what you want to change is energizing. It helps you gain momentum.

You may also discover many things you appreciate but rarely take the time to consider because you’re so busy.

Now, What’s Most Important?

Doing this spring cleaning exercise is clarifying. You can’t do it without defining:

What’s most important to you?
What can you do without?

Now, take the next step and decide how to tackle it.

I always suggest one thing at a time.

For habits, choose one you don’t want and replace it with a better one. Then practice until it’s automated and easy. Then go after another one.

For projects, reduce what’s on your plate. Simplify and clarify, then single-mindedly focus your energy on what you want to achieve. Be sure to complete with a timeline and schedule.

If you cut out all the extra time-consuming activities that have been distracting you, you’ll have a head start on your projects and open loops.

Close those easy, small open loops right away so they stop siphoning off your energy.

Then move forward with your prioritized list and schedule. You’ll feel better and more in control of your life.

That’s all for today.

Have a great week! Happy decluttering!

All my best,

Barbara

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